VIDEO: Watch now Even before the quake, "the health system was relatively weak and the immunization coverage was not optimal," said UNICEF Chief of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Renee Van de Weerdt.
A multi-factor enterprise Insufficient routine immunization coverage, weak hygiene practices and parents' resistance to vaccination are among the three major reasons for the persistence of polio and measles in the country.
Existing maternal and child health indicators are weak with 22 per cent stunting due to malnutrition 36 per cent measles immunization coverage.
But a weak health system and lack of infrastructure undermined routine immunization coverage, and polio re-emerged.
Although there have been no reported cases of polio since 1993, as a consequence of the protracted conflict in the northeastern districts of Sri Lanka, the immunization coverage is comparatively lower and the surveillance system weaker than in other parts of the country.
The highest priority is to reach every child in Nigeria and in the high-risk areas across the region (districts where cases where reported in re-infected countries, districts with low routine immunization coverage and districts where new case surveillance is weak).
Hosted by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization – known as the GAVI Alliance – the panel addressed progress on immunization coverage and the challenges that remain, such as insufficient funding and weak national health systems.
Alongside many variables that can cause poor coverage, such as inadequate financing, poor vaccine quality, poor vaccination practices, and weak health care systems [ 1], one of the most common barriers to improving immunization coverage rates is human resources and its management [ 2].
Because it is so contagious, measles is one of the first diseases to reappear when immunization coverage declines.
Figure 1 Trend in immunization coverage, India.
