Immunization coverage in a rural community in Southwestern Nigeria

Background and aim: Poor immunization coverage especially in rural areas has led to a high burden of vaccine preventable diseases in children. The study assessed routine immunization coverage and its determinants in a rural community in South Western Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey using the WHO cluster survey design was conducted among children aged 12 to 23 months. Coverage was assessed by immunization cards. Results: A total of 440 mothers were interviewed with a mean age of 27.9 ± 5.7 years. The mean age of the children was 17.3 ± 3.7 months. Full immunization was recorded among 130(29.5%) children and of these only 53.8% completed their immunization by 12 months. The highest and lowest vaccine coverage was observed for DPT1 (90.2%) and Yellow fever (55%) respectively. The commonest reasons for failure to immunize were; non availability of vaccines (40%) and the mother being too busy (24.2%). Predictors of immunization status included maternal education (p=0.002), place of delivery (p<0.001), family type (p=0.04) and child's birth order (p=0.03). Conclusion: The immunization coverage rate among children in this rural community was sub-optimal and lower dropout rates may be achieved by making vaccines readily available. High female literacy levels and delivery in health facilities need to be promoted. © 2012 Adebayo BE, et al.