Objective: Evaluating vaccination coverage in the infant population aged 0-23 months by cluster (locality) in Bogotá and identifying reasons for the lack of vaccination coverage.
Materials and methods: This was a descriptive, retrospective study. Sample size was calculated on target population (children aged 0-23 months), further divided into 0-1, 2-6, 7-11 and 12-23 month sub-groups by tri-stage sampling to ascertain newborn vaccination status, evaluate opportune oral polio vaccine (OPV) and pentavalent vaccine third dose vaccination and opportune measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.
Results: 5,845 children were surveyed; 96.7% had immunisation cards, 75.3% were registered in the Social Protection System and 12.6% (713 out of 5,845) had not been vaccinated. Vaccination coverage by biological products was as follows: 99.1% BCG, 93.0% pentavalent vaccine, 93.2% OPV, 85% MMR. Vaccination opportunity was 5,328 for BCG (94.3%), 1 256 for OPV (88.6%), 1 112 for pentavalent (88.5%) and 1,702 for MMR (69.5%) with 33 vaccination errors (1.3%). Among the identified reasons for non-vaccination were confused health service logistics and coordination (59.2%), misguided parental beliefs (27.9%) and unregistered children (12.8%).
Conclusions: Useful and timely vaccine coverage was evident with BCG; there were difficulties regarding recording pentavalent vaccination. Information, education and mass communication strategies must be developed to counteract reasons given for non-vaccination and to educate parents and tutors in its opportune application to increase triple-viral vaccine coverage.