Examining vaccination completeness in Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) registers in India
Presenter: William Lodge II
Co-authors: Christian Suharlim, Emma Clarke, Isabelle Feldhaus, Logan Brenzel, Palash Das, Anita Pinheiro, Susmita Chatterjee, Stephen C Resch
Poster file: [download]
Abstract:
Background: The Government of India is committed to reducing child mortality and morbidity in the country by improving full immunization coverage through the universal immunization programme (UIP). In 2014, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), GoI, launched Mission Indradhanush (MI) to achieve in five years more than 90% full immunization coverage in the country. However, only 65% of children received complete immunization during their first year of life. In an effort to close immunization gaps and strengthen immunization, the GoI implemented the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) programme, which was a periodic intensification of routine immunization in low coverage districts between October 2017 – January 2018. This study aims to examine individual-level data from Reproductive and Child Health registers to understand better the completeness of doses delivered/received to children during the first year of life in low coverage states. Methods: Secondary analysis of RCH registers which show specific doses (i.e., BCG, OPV/Penta 1, 2, & 3, Measles 1) in subcenters in Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh. The entry of data was restricted to children whose date of births were between 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2017. We examined a total of 12,535 children’s vaccination data. As of October 2018, only 57% of children born in 2016- 2017 recorded receiving all doses up to Measles 1. During the IMI programme, October 2017 – January 2018, there was an increase from 55% to 60% in the proportion of infants (< 1-year-old) who received complete vaccination for their age. In IMI districts, most children received their Penta/OPV3 late. Vaccines were considered timely if given within four days to four weeks after the recommended interval for administration. Discussion: While improvements have been made in strengthening immunization, more attention needs to be on children receiving complete vaccination (BCG – Measles 1) for their age. The IMI campaign may lead to higher vaccination completion rates; however, more evidence is needed to assess sustainability.