Evaluation of routine vaccination coverage in children under 7 years of age in Central Guatemala

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figure 1Vaccination coverage in children under 7 years, Guatemala City, November 2022.


In 2020, reported vaccination coverage in Guatemala City was 50% for OPV3 and 61% for MMR1, classifying the city as high-risk for polio re-emergence. To report vaccination coverage, the Ministry of Public Health (MSPAS) uses a nominal electronic registry that does not include children served by external entities.

 

 

figure 2While the exact proportion of children attended by the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS) or the private sector is unknown, its level is higher in Guatemala City, suggesting that underreporting of MSPAS-based coverage may be significant. It is critical to adequately measure vaccination coverage in Guatemala City to assess the risks of reintroduction of diseases previously eliminated and guide public health actions.

In November 2022, we conducted a survey in Guatemala City to review vaccination documents and interview guardians of children aged between 3 months to less than 7 years. The survey followed WHO's methodology on vaccination coverage surveys, and collected information on BCG, pentavalent, polio, MMR vaccination status (by dose), vaccine provider and source of information.





figure 3We collected data on 5,800 children between November 14 and 28. Overall, 99.7% of the children included in the survey had received at least one dose of any vaccine and 87.3% had a complete vaccination schedule for their age. Vaccination coverage for the 3rd dose of polio and the 1st dose of MMR were 96.4% and 95.6% respectively. This is higher than 95%, suggesting that the risk level of polio and measles re-emergence was lower than estimated using MSPAS coverage data. To include data from other providers in the national database and be able to properly monitor vaccination coverage, it is necessary to work on technological solutions to make these databases interoperable. 

 

 

 

Authors:  Luz María Ovando (1), Diego Campos (2), Edgar Santos (1), Luis Fernando Quezada (2), Mariana Landa (2), Claudia Jarquín (2), Marc Rondy (2)

1 - Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare

2 - Pan American Health Organization, Guatemala


Image 1: Vaccination coverages disaggregated by provider measured in children under 7 years of age in Guatemala City, November 2022 (credit: PAHO Guatemala).

Image 2: Children from Guatemala City showing their vaccination card next to health personnel after participating in the survey, November 2022 (credit: MSPAS Guatemala).

Image 3: Survey personnel collecting immunization data through the digital survey on their mobile device, Guatemala City, November 2022 (credit: MSPAS Guatemala).









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