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Preventing infections through immunization helps ensure health equity across populations, regardless of wealth status

A group of experts evaluated a number of maternal, neonatal, and child health interventions for equity across wealth quintiles using data from 1990-2006. Immunization was found to have the narrowest differences in coverage of services between the poorest and wealthiest children (28% higher coverage in the highest wealth quintile compared to the lowest). By contrast, indicators of treatment coverage for children sick with diarrhea and pneumonia were nearly 60% higher in the highest wealth quintile compared to the poorest. This means that poor children are at a much greater disadvantage with respect to receiving treatment for pneumonia and diarrhea than they are for receiving vaccines to prevent these infections.

Full Citation:
Countdown 2008 Equity Analysis Group. 2008. Mind the gap: equity and trends in coverage of maternal, newborn and child health services in 54 Countdown countries. Lancet. 371(9620).

Title of Article: Mind the gap: equity and trends in coverage of maternal, newborn and child health services in 54 Countdown countries

Author(s): Countdown 2008 Equity Analysis Group

Publication Year: 2008

Publication Name: Lancet

Publication Volume: 371(9620)

Publication Source URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18406860/

DOI (Digital Object Identifier): 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60560-7

Topics: Equity

Disease Vaccines: Diarrhea | Pneumonia

Countries: Global