Vaccination status of 12 – 23 month-old children and convenient of data obtained from mothers and primary health care center records, in Trabzon-Turkey

The aims of this study was to determine the coverage of the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) of the Ministry of Health and the coverage of private vaccines in the Trabzon-Turkey. Other aims were to define the areas that present higher risks for non-vaccination.   
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in December 2007 – May 2008, which included the use of interviewer-administered questionnaire to assess knowledge of mothers of children aged 12-23 months and vaccination coverage. In total were 1586 children in province center and districts of Trabzon randomly selected and their immunization status by card or history.
A child was said to be fully immunized if he or she had received all of the following vaccines: a dose of Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG), three doses of oral polio (OPV), three doses of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT), three doses of hepatitis B (HB) and one dose of measles by the time he or she was enrolled in the survey, i.e. between the ages of 12-23 months.
Immunization coverage by card or history was 95.9% for BCG, and 100%, 99.7% and 99.7% for DTP1, DTP2 and DTP3 respectively. Coverage of OPV1, OPV2 and OPV3 by card or history was 99.9%, 99.6% and 99.5% respectively. Coverage for measles by card or history was 90.9%. Fully immunized children by card or history were 1377 or 86.8%. There is any children had not received any immunizations. Drop-out rate from DTP1 to DTP3 vaccination by immunization card or history was 0.3%, and drop-out from DTP1 to Measles by card or history was 9.1%. For fully immunization 76.9% convenient was determined between immunization status by card or history and Primary health Care Centers records.
This study shows that immunization levels are very high. However there is convenient problem between card or history and Primary health Care Centers records.