Infectious Diseases

In low- and middle-income countries, children are more vulnerable to infectious disease and are 18 times more likely to die from such compared to those in developed countries (UNICEF). Many infectious diseases, including polio, measles, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, are vaccine-preventable from a young age. Others such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS continue to pose significant challenges, and the reduction of their spread through community-based strategies and the provision of essential health commodities is a key priority of World Vision.

As a leading international humanitarian, development and advocacy organisation, World Vision utilises an integrated approach across health facilities, communities and families to reduce morbidity and mortality due to these infectious diseases. World Vision also commits to strengthening Community Health Worker responses and immunization programmes as valuable ways to excel in these initiatives. Partnerships with governments, local Ministries of Health, faith and community leaders, and donors like USAID enable World Vision to engage in its health objectives with an effective and widespread reach.

Additional Work in Infectious Diseases

Polio

World Vision has been part of the CORE Group Partners Project (CGPP, formerly CORE Group Polio Project)—a multi-country and -partner initiative that supports organisations working together towards eradicating polio through financial assistance and on-the-ground technical guidance—since it began in 1999. The CGPP works to improve vaccine uptake for polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, conducts surveillance for infectious disease threats, and strengthens health systems. World Vision has partnered with the CGPP in Angola, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and South Sudan.

CORE Polio is a testament to civil society's role in public health, and collective action. It is amazing really that the world does not do better to celebrate seminal achievements like the elimination of polio. It is the kind of story that gives us hope for a better future.

- Dan Irvine, Global Director, Health and Nutrition, World Vision International

For more information on polio and the work that World Vision is involved with towards eradicating Polio, read Akujo Mary's story. It is an inspiring story of not only survival but the pursuit of her dreams despite her disability. 

Mpox

The 2022–2024 period has seen a significant increase in mpox cases globally, including in regions not traditionally considered endemic. The virus has spread to countries with no previously known cases, highlighting the potential for global transmission. This disease has occurred in 116 countries, making it a global concern. Unlike earlier outbreaks, the current outbreak has shown sustained human-to-human transmission, primarily through close physical contact, including within households. There is increasing concern about its impact on vulnerable populations, including children, immunocompromised individuals, and those in humanitarian settings. On 14 August 2024, the World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern.

Children are particularly vulnerable to mpox, especially in low- and middle-income countries, including humanitarian and fragile contexts, due to a combination of environmental, healthcare, and socio-economic factors that significantly increase their risk of exposure and severe outcomes. These factors include overcrowded living conditions, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, malnutrition, and limited access to clean water and sanitation.

Learn more about World Vision's Emergency mpox Response.

"Preventing further spread is not just solidarity, but an investment in global health security," says Dan Irvine, Global Director, Health and Nutrition. He highlights the EU’s critical role against mpox, from vaccines to building further resilience in African health systems. Read his op ed in the EU Observer.

Ebola

The Ebola outbreak across West Africa between 2014 and 2016 was the largest and most complex since the virus was initially discovered in 1976 (WHO). Additional outbreaks followed, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) facing the second-largest Ebola outbreak in history from 2018 to 2021. 

World Vision continues to work in communities that survived the Ebola crisis, and in communities that are still dealing with outbreaks of Ebola today. The health emergency response team reached 1.6 million people during the epidemic that took place in Sierra Leone. 

Working with World Vision's Channels of Hope Team, community health workers and faith leaders found ways to fight the epidemic and create awareness about the disease in order to avoid fatalities. Furthermore, World Vision continues to work with faith leaders to bring hope to the families and communities that have been affected by the tragedy. Read more here.

World Vision was chosen to be a part of an initiative to bring an Ebola vaccine solution to West Africa as a member of the Ebola Vaccine Deployment, Acceptance, and Compliance (EBODAC) consortium. This consortium worked in four countries – the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Uganda – to develop strategies and tools to promote the acceptance and uptake of new Ebola vaccines. EBODAC (2014 to 2021) used phone messaging, as well as clear communication methods to build trust and address misconceptions surrounding the vaccine in the community. EBODAC also built local knowledge and capacity and strengthened health systems by working with ministries of health and community health workers to provide training for the potential future deployment of a licensed vaccine.

COVID-19

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Within hours, World Vision launched one of the largest global emergency responses in more than 70 countries. Our global COVID-19 response exceeded our goal of reaching 72 million people, including 36 million children, focusing on situations of pre-existing vulnerability and fragility, where children are most at risk - conflict-affected contexts, urban slums, and refugee settings. 

Strategic objectives included:

1. Scale up preventative measures to limit the spread of disease
2. Strengthen health systems and workers (including training and supporting community health workers)
3. Support for children affected by COVID-19 through education, child protection, food security, and livelihoods
4. Collaborate and advocate to ensure vulnerable children are protected

Learn more about World Vision's Emergency COVID-19 Response. 

Zika

The Zika Virus, transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, was first detected in Brazil in May 2015. One great concern is that the newborns of pregnant mothers who were infected by the disease can suffer from microcephaly, a congenital condition that causes incomplete development of the brain. 

World Vision worked directly with affected countries by providing services and resources necessary for disease prevention. Mosquito nets and insect repellants were provided to communities, along with health services for pregnant women and others who contracted the virus. Within six months the organisation had reached more than three million people across more than 1,000 communities in the worst-affected municipalities with information on vector control and individual protection behaviours, distribution of protection kits for pregnant women, and community engagement activities to advocate and participate in sanitation campaigns.

To support institutional operations, ministries of health and the global community at large, World Vision’s response also included the collection and dissemination of epidemiological data to increase efficiency in the prevention and control of the outbreak. Learn how community volunteers and smartphones helped to reveal dangerous gaps by surveying over 3,000 people in 6 countries.