Measles vaccination in Africa: by how much could routine coverage be improved?
Assuming that the level of Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) coverage gives a measure of access to immunisation services, it is possible to derive what fraction of infants are not immunised against measles due to under-utilisation of existing services (rather than unavailability of services). According to the most recent official statistics, the overall coverage for measles vaccine is 53% in Africa (10% lower than for BCG). This difference amounts to 3 million African children who will not be vaccinated against measles this year even though they probably have access to immunisation services.
Edmunds
W J
WJ
PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, NW9 5EQ, London, UK. jedmunds@phls.org.uk
Gay
N J
NJ
Henao Restrepo
A M
AM
Olivé
J M
JM
Bele
O
O
D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D003906:Developing Countries; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008457:Measles / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D008458:Measles Vaccine; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D001500:BCG Vaccine; D008458:Measles Vaccine