Coverage of and barriers to routine child vaccination in Mukalla district, Hadramout governorate, Yemen

To determine the vaccination coverage for children 12–23 months and to identify reasons for non- vaccination, we conducted a community-based survey in Al Mukalla district. Information about vaccination status and related barriers was collected for 210 children: 82% were fully vaccinated, 12% were partially vaccinated, and 5% were not vaccinated. Drop-out rate between DPT1 and DPT3 was 3.1%. Combining the evidence of vaccine cards and parent’s history, the coverage for OPV1 was 94.3%, OPV3 91.4%, measles 90%, and BCG 88.1%. Reasons for not vaccinating included lack of information (54%) and existence of obstacles (35%). There is a need to raise the awareness of families about vaccination and to expand continuous outreach sessions to cover all children.