An evaluation of infant immunization in Africa: is a transformation in progress?

Immunisation coverage is improving dramatically in Africa

By: Arevshatian L, Clements CJ and Lwanga SK
Published in: Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2007;85:449-457
Via: Eldis

This paper, in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, assesses the progress towards meeting the goals of the African Regional strategic Plan of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation between 2001 and 2005. These goals include: to interrupt the circulation of wild polio virus in all countries; eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus in all high-risk districts; 80 per cent of the countries to have reached at least 80 per cent diphtheria-tetanus-pertissus-3 (DTP-3) coverage; and measles to be controlled and eliminated in Southern Africa.

The paper finds that although more infants had been immunised by 2005, most of the targets had been missed by at least half of the region’s counties. The authors estimate that DTP-3 coverage increased from 54 per cent in 2000 to 69 per cent in 2004, and as a result the number of non-immunised children declined from 1.4 million in 2002 to 900,000 in 2004. Reported measles cases dropped from 520,000 in 2000 to 316,000 in 2005 and mortality was reduced by approximately 60 per cent. The paper concludes that the rates of immunisation coverage are improving dramatically in the WHO African Region. The huge increases in spending on immunisation and the related improvements in programme performance are linked predominantly to increases in donor funding.

(http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/6/06-031526.pdf)