Pope Leo XIV dedicated his February prayer intention to children suffering from disease and incurable illness, urging Catholics worldwide to recognise in them “the wounded face of Christ” and to respond with compassion and concrete action.
“This month we entrust to the Lord all children who carry the heavy cross of illness,” the pope said.
“May they feel the closeness of God through the love of their families, caregivers and communities. And may we never grow indifferent to their suffering.”
To pray is to “allow our hearts to be moved”, he said. Prayer opens the way for solidarity, for generosity, and for the building of a world where no child is forgotten.”
His call comes as global health agencies warn that preventable diseases continue to threaten children’s lives, particularly in vulnerable regions.
According to a UNICEF and WHO joint statement, new data from 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia show measles cases fell by nearly 75 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year from 127,412 to 33,998.
Yet more than 200,000 people in the region have fallen ill over the past three years, and cases remain higher than most years since 2000.
Along with partners including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, they have intensified efforts to curb measles and cholera outbreaks affecting hundreds of thousands of children.
“Unless every community reaches 95 per cent vaccination coverage…this highly contagious virus will keep spreading,” warned UNICEF Regional Director Regina De Dominicis.
Measles is one of the world’s most contagious viruses: for every infected person, up to 18 unvaccinated people can contract the disease. Beyond the potential for hospitalisation and death, a greater risk in poorer countries, it can weaken the immune system for months or years.
Two doses of the measles vaccine provide up to 97 per cent lifelong protection. UNICEF and WHO are supporting governments through catch-up vaccination campaigns, training health workers and strengthening disease surveillance.
Meanwhile, preventive cholera vaccination campaigns have resumed for the first time in more than three years after global supply shortages eased.
A first allocation of 20 million doses is being deployed, including 3.6 million to Mozambique, 6.1 million to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 10.3 million planned for Bangladesh.
Cholera, spread through contaminated food and water, causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration and can be fatal without prompt treatment. More than 600,000 cases and nearly 7,600 deaths were reported globally last year, though the true toll is likely higher.
UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell cautioned that vaccination “must go hand in hand with other efforts, including better access to safe water and basic sanitation.”
