title: The performance of the expanded programme on immunization in a rural area of Mozambique.
abstract: Vaccines are an effective public health measure. Vaccination coverage has improved in Africa in the last decades but has still not reached WHO/UNICEF target of at least 90% first-dose coverage for vaccines in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) implemented in Mozambique in 1979. There are concerns about reliability of vaccination coverage official data from low-income countries, and inequities in vaccine administration. We randomly sampled 266 under-five years children from Taninga, a poor rural area in Southern Mozambique under a Demographic surveillance system and collected data directly from the individual national health cards when available (BCG, DTP/HepB/Hib, Polio, Measles). We also collected data on socio-economic variables through an interview. Overall, only 5% of the participants did not receive all the doses of the vaccines included in the EPI in a timely manner (overall vaccination coverage 95%, 95% CI: 93.5-95.5%). The socio-economic status was homogenously low and no differences were found between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. Vaccination coverage in Taninga was very high, despite the low socio-economic status of the population. The high performance of the EPI in Taninga is an encouraging experience for achieving high vaccination coverage in low-income rural settings.
authors.affiliation: Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Roselló 132, 408036 Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Bairro Cambeve, Rua 12, Distrito da Manhiça,CP 1929, Maputo, Mozambique. Electronic address: miguel.lanaspa@cresib.cat.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lanaspa
authors.affiliation: Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Roselló 132, 408036 Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Bairro Cambeve, Rua 12, Distrito da Manhiça,CP 1929, Maputo, Mozambique. Electronic address: reyesbalcells@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Reyes
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balcells
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Bairro Cambeve, Rua 12, Distrito da Manhiça,CP 1929, Maputo, Mozambique. Electronic address: charfudin.sacoor@manhica.net.
authors.forename: Charfudin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sacoor
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Bairro Cambeve, Rua 12, Distrito da Manhiça,CP 1929, Maputo, Mozambique. Electronic address: abel.nhama@manhica.net.
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nhama
authors.affiliation: Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Roselló 132, 408036 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: john.aponte@cresib.cat.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Aponte
authors.affiliation: Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Roselló 132, 408036 Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Bairro Cambeve, Rua 12, Distrito da Manhiça,CP 1929, Maputo, Mozambique. Electronic address: quique.bassat@cresib.cat.
authors.forename: Quique
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Bassat
mesh_terms: D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection; D004165:Diphtheria / Q000517:prevention & control; D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009073:Mozambique; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000517:prevention & control; D011055:Poliovirus Vaccine, Oral / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011203:Poverty; D012424:Rural Population; D012923:Social Class; D013742:Tetanus / Q000517:prevention & control; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D014612:Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D001500:BCG Vaccine; D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D011055:Poliovirus Vaccine, Oral; D014612:Vaccines
keywords: Children; DTP3; Developing countries; Immunization programs; Vaccination coverage