Factors Affecting Immunization Status of Children Aged 12-23 Months in Goba Town, Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Immunization is a proven vaccination tools in preventing and eradicating communicable disease. Even though increase in global immunization coverage many children around the world especially in developing countries still left unvaccinated. About one million children in Ethiopia were unvaccinated in 2007 and only 20% of the countries children are fully vaccinated in 2005. Objectives: To assess immunization status and factors affecting it among children aged 12-23 months in Goba town. Method: A cross sectional community based study was conducted from April 28 to May 04, 2016 in Goba town, Bale zone, southeast of Ethiopia using pretest, structured questioner and a systematic random sampling was used and data collected through face to face interview. A total of 280 children of aged between 12-23 months from 280 household were selected. Data was by using SPSS 20 software. Result: In this study 94.6% of children were vaccine. About 99.6% 0f mothers heard about vaccination and vaccine preventable disease and 94.6% awarded correctly the benefit of immunization. About 52.1% of children were fully vaccinated by card plus recall, and 5.4% children were unvaccinated. Conclusion: There is low immunization coverage among children aged 12-23 months in the town. Antenatal care follow up, institutional delivery and awareness of mothers about the age at which child begins and finishes the vaccination are significant predictor of child immunization status.