Use of recommended maternal health care services — defined as at least 4 antenatal care visits, having a skilled attendant at birth, and delivery in a health facility — was a predictor of timely vaccination of mothers’ infants in a study conducted in Ghana. Compared to children whose mothers received one or two of these services, infants born to mothers who received all three interventions were roughly 30% more likely to be fully vaccinated by 12-23 months of age, while children whose mothers received none of these services were only about half as likely to be fully vaccinated. Investing in maternal health, which creates familiarity with the health system and increases mothers’ knowledge about disease prevention, can improve the health of both the mother and her children beyond infancy.
Full immunization
Wealth did not impact vaccination rates for Somali refugee children in Kenya, suggesting systemic barriers to immunization
In contrast to non-Somalis, family wealth did not significantly affect the likelihood of being fully vaccinated among Somali refugee children living in Kenya. This may point to systemic barriers to vaccination that cut across all socio-economic levels of the Somali refugee population.
Children born outside of a health facility in Kenya are less likely to be vaccinated
Kenyan children born outside of a health facility with the aid of a traditional birth attendant were around 80% more likely to be non-vaccinated or under-vaccinated than children born in a government health facility.
Children from poor households in Kenya are less likely to be vaccinated compared to wealthier children
Non-Somali children in Kenya in the poorest households were nearly three times as likely to be unvaccinated than children from middle-income households, while wealthier children were significantly less likely to be unvaccinated.
Refugee children in Kenya have significantly lower immunization rates
Somali refugee children in Kenya were nearly 60 times more likely than children of the main ethnic group in the study (Kikuyu) to not have received any childhood immunization and more than twice as likely to have not completed their vaccinations. Although Somali children made up less than 8% of the sample, they accounted for nearly half of all non-vaccinated children.
This study used data from Kenya’s Demographic and Health Survey data.
Children in Pakistan with educated parents are more likely to receive timely immunizations
In a large survey in Pakistan, children were about 30% more likely to receive all the national immunization program vaccinations on time if either their mother or father had a secondary school or higher level of education than those whose mothers or fathers had no formal education.
Children from the poorest households in Nigeria are less likely to be immunized than those from wealthier households
In a Southwest state of Nigeria, children in the poorest category (quintile) of households were 14 times more likely to be partially immunized or not immunized, and those in the next poorest category were eight times more likely to be partially immunized or not immunized than children in the wealthiest group, after adjusting for factors such as education, religion, and ethnicity.
Nigerian children of mothers with less education are less likely to be vaccinated compared to those with educated mothers
Children born to mothers in Southwest Nigeria who had no formal education were four times more likely to be unvaccinated or partially vaccinated than those born to mothers who completed primary school and were six times more likely to be partially vaccinated or unvaccinated than children whose mothers completed a post-secondary education.
North Korean refugee children in China have low vaccination rates due to lack of legal status
Children born to North Korean refugee women in China have much lower vaccination rates than local Chinese or migrant children — with full immunization rates of 14% compared to 93% for local ethnic Chinese children and 55% for migrant children. While all ethnic Chinese children are registered and provided with free vaccinations and there are specific programs targeting migrant children, children born to Korean refugees have no legal status and are thus excluded from the public health care system.
Many asylum-seeking children have missed key vaccinations, highlighting the need for targeted initiatives to improve immunization rates
Nearly one-third of children and adolescents seeking asylum in Denmark were not adequately vaccinated upon their arrival. This points to the need for initiatives targeted to this population to promote immunization and improve access to health services.