Microsoft Word - AMICS-29Jan2013 - Childinfo.org

Percentage of children age 12-23 months currently vaccinated against childhood diseases, Afghanistan, 2010-2011
BCG
At
birth
Percentage of children who received:
Polio
DPT
1 2 3 1 2 3
Measles None All
Percentage
with
vaccination
card seen
Number
of
children
age 12-
23
months
Mother s education
None 62.4 46.1 70.4 61.7 46.6 55.6 50.2 38.3 53.5 25.1 28.7 29.5 2,267
Primary 78.1 65.5 79.2 68.8 60.5 72.2 64.3 54.9 73.6 15.8 41.9 40.7 122
Secondary + 85.9 69.9 83.8 72.1 63.2 78.5 71.9 64.0 75.2 11.2 44.0 43.4 108
Wealth index
quintile
Poorest 54.4 34.0 68.4 58.4 40.0 47.3 41.6 28.9 43.7 27.6 23.1 23.0 532
Second 63.0 48.6 71.9 63.9 49.2 55.3 52.3 40.1 55.6 24.3 30.0 30.8 549
Middle 59.8 44.2 67.7 60.0 43.4 53.8 47.8 36.4 52.2 28.1 28.2 29.3 495
Fourth 66.8 51.1 70.4 62.0 51.0 59.7 54.2 43.5 59.7 25.8 32.7 33.4 473
Richest 79.3 65.4 79.8 69.1 58.1 73.4 65.2 54.4 68.1 13.0 37.3 37.9 447
Total 64.2 48.1 71.4 62.5 48.0 57.5 51.9 40.2 55.5 24.0 30.0 30.6 2,497
In Afghanistan, 30% of children aged 12-23 months are fully vaccinated (Table 6.3). One in four
children are not vaccinated at all against any diseases (24%). There is no significant gender
disparity in immunization coverage; however, a disparity between urban (37%) and rural (29%)
areas is observed. The situation differs considerably by region: in the North Eastern region,
children have the highest rate of vaccination coverage against communicable diseases (42%).
However, in the Southern region, fewer than 2% of children are fully vaccinated, an alarming
situation that stands in contrast to all other regions.
The mother s education appears to be a factor significantly influencing children s immunization
rates. The higher the mother s educational level, the more her children tend to be vaccinated.
For example, 63% of children whose mothers are educated to the secondary level received the
third dose of polio vaccine, while only 47% of children are fully protected against polio if their
mothers have no education at all.
Overall, 64% of children aged 12-23 are protected against tuberculosis as a result of having
received the BCG vaccine. More children living in urban areas (79%) are immunized with the
BCG vaccine compared to those living in rural areas (61%). In the Central region, almost four in
five children received the BCG vaccine, while in the Southern region, one in three children are
immunized.
Table 6.3 shows a regressive trend in the immunization coverage of the oral polio vaccine up to
the third dose, according to the immunization schedule. Children in the North Eastern region
(81%) are protected against polio 1 most frequently, followed by children in the Central and
Eastern regions (80%). However, the coverage rate of polio 3 drops to 58% in the North East
region, to 57% in the Central region, and to 53% in the East region by the third polio
vaccination. Among the eight regions, the Southern region has the lowest coverage from polio
1 to 3.
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