Immunization Coverage And Its Determinants Among Under-Five Children Aged 12 To 59 Months In Mtendere Township Of Lusaka Urban District.

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to investigate attainment of full immunization coverage among under -five children in Mtendere township of Lusaka urban district. This Cross-sectional study recruited households that had children who were under 5 years old. Data was collected from parents or guardians of the children using a questionnaire. Information was also retrieved from Immunization cards. A total of 339 participants were recruited. Eighty-eight percent of the participants presented immunization cards fortheir children. There was statistically no significant association between immunization of children and marital status of theparticipants (p= 0.994); gender and child immunization (p=0.0004); immunization of children and education level (p=0.636) and between immunization of children and participant’s monthly income (p = 0.263). There was a statistically significant relationship between immunization of children and religious affiliation (p= 0.05). Immunization of children in Mtendere is higher than before. There is need for interventions to improve the proportion of complete immunization for children in the area. The Ministry of Health through relevant authorities should endeavor to sensitize parents about the importance of completing the immunization schedule, especially with regard to Measles.