Immunization Coverage of the Under-5 Children in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State

Author(s):

Rosena Olubanke Oluwafemi, Rosena Olubanke Oluwafemi* and Femi Peter Adesina

Background: Immunization coverage is one of the indicators used to monitor progress towards achieving child survival and the strategy to reduce child morbidity and mortality. Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) are the major causes of these morbidity and mortality in the resource-poor countries, yet many factors were associated with the achievement of national antigen cumulative coverage desired in Nigeria. The aim of the study is to assess the immunization coverage of under-5 children in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State. Method: Community based descriptive cross sectional study among 560 mother-child pair selected using multistage sampling method. Research instrument was interviewer-administered questionnaire, and data analyzed using the STATA software. Results: The under-5 immunization coverage in the current study is 94.6%. The figure is higher than the National figure of 25%, though lower than figures from similar other developing nations. Dropout rate of BCG/DPT1 was 7.3%, DPT1/DPT3 (31.3%) and DPT3/Measles (35.8%). Majority of the subject studied rated immunization staff to be friendly. Nevertheless, there was significant difference in staff attitude between the communities studied (p<0.05). Conclusion: Immunization coverage for children under-5 in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State is high and compares favourably with findings from other parts of the country.