World Immunization Week 2026: Post-COVID Era Childhood Vaccination and Novel Vaccines

The COVID-19 pandemic substantially affected routine childhood immunization delivery, vaccine confidence, and equitable access to preventive care. In the post-pandemic period, pediatric public health faces a dual challenge: restoring uptake of established vaccines while integrating novel vaccines and next-generation immunization technologies into practice. This Research Topic will address the epidemiology, implementation, behavioral determinants, equity implications, and policy dimensions of childhood vaccination after COVID-19, alongside advances in new pediatric vaccines and platforms. We welcome submissions on coverage recovery, catch-up programs, vaccine hesitancy, parental decision-making, real-world vaccine effectiveness and safety, maternal immunization, adolescent vaccination, digital and community-based delivery models, and new vaccines relevant to child health. The collection aims to provide a multidisciplinary overview of how childhood immunization systems can become more resilient, trusted, and innovative in the post-COVID era. We encourage submissions centered on, but not limited to, the following themes:• Recovery and Resilience: Strategies for restoring routine childhood immunization coverage and implementing effective catch-up programs for missed doses.• Behavioral Determinants: Investigating vaccine hesitancy, parental trust, misinformation, and the psychology of decision-making in the post-COVID environment.• Health Equity and Access: Addressing socioeconomic, geographic, and systemic barriers to vaccination to ensure equitable health outcomes for all children.• Novel Pediatric Vaccines & Platforms: Clinical and public health perspectives on mRNA, protein-based, vector-based, and mucosal vaccines (e.g., RSV, Influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Group A Streptococcus, CMV, and Meningococcus).• Life-Course Immunization: Maternal immunization for passive infant protection, school-entry requirements, and adolescent vaccination strategies.• Safety and Surveillance: Real-world vaccine effectiveness (WVE), pharmacovigilance, and long-term safety monitoring in pediatric cohorts.• Innovation in Delivery: Digital registries, reminder systems, community-based outreach, and the integration of immunization into primary pediatric care.• Policy and Ethics: Economic evaluations, ethical considerations in pediatric mandates, and global health policy for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).• Future Preparedness: Syndemic preparedness and pediatric-specific strategies for future infectious disease outbreaks.This Research Topic was launched during the World Immunization Week 2026 and aims to bring together clinicians, public health researchers, epidemiologists, vaccinologists, behavioral scientists, policymakers, and implementation experts to define priorities for the next phase of childhood vaccination. By combining evidence on coverage recovery with advances in novel vaccine development and delivery, the issue will help inform both current immunization policy and future pediatric vaccine strategy. Topic editors: Filippos Filippatos, Konstantinos Kakleas Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80756/world-immunization-week-2026-post-covid-era-childhood-vaccination-and-novel-vaccines