Addressing the immunization coverage paradox: A matter of children's rights and social justice.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the principles of social justice demand that all children have equal access to effective childhood immunization. Although there has been substantial progress in increasing global childhood immunization coverage, routinely reported data conceal marked disparities between and within countries. As a global community we still fall substantially short of our moral obligation to guarantee all children equal access to effective vaccines. Governments of developed and less-developed nations must unite to ensure the leadership planning, governance, and human and financial resources necessary to deliver on this critical global equity agenda.