Sushil Kharel and Mandira Mainalee
Kathmandu Medical College, Nepal
Community Social Work, Nepal
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Immunome Res
Background: Around 1.5 million children die each year from diseases that can be prevented by immunization. Vaccines have both short and long-term benefits. In Nepal, infants are immunized with standard WHO recommended vaccines. It has shown from the different studies that 16.4 % of children did not receive complete immunization by 12 months. Studies from different parts of Nepal and South Asia showed that complete immunization to the child is even lower. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of immunization among children aged between 0-24 months living in high altitudes of Nepal. Methods: The cross sectional study was conducted among children living in high altitudes (2500 m above sea level) in Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk districts of Nepal. Data were collected from the parents of the children and immunization booklet was checked and verified. Results: A total of 535 infants were selected randomly for this study. Only 51.9% (278) of the infants were completely vaccinated. The coverage of BCG vaccine was 63% (337) while for measles only 32.89% (176) got vaccinated. The significant determinants of incomplete immunization were the home delivery of a child, parents with poor knowledge about the schedule of vaccination and negative perception towards vaccinating, family conflicts and poor accessibility to the vaccination centers. Conclusion: The campaign on awareness towards vaccination should be carried out in national and international level as Nepal is a poor country. International organization, health institutions and NGO volunteers should be actively involved in creating awareness about immunization, its schedule, and post-vaccination benefits
E-mail: drsusilkharel@gmail.com
