Complete immunization coverage among children aged between 18 and 23 months in the rural area of Mon State, Myanmar

Objective: To access complete immunization coverage among children aged 18-23 months living in the rural area of Mon State, Myanmar, and study the affecting factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural area of Mon State in 2017. Totally 353 caregivers who had children aged 18 to 23 months were selected using multistage random sampling. Face-to-face interview was applied in data collection. Complete immunization status was defined according to the current practice of routine immunization in Myanmar. Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were utilized in data analysis. Results: Most of the caregivers were mothers (86.1%). Among 353 children, 293 [83% (95% CI 79.1-86.9)] had been immunized completely. The majority of caregivers had good levels of knowledge (77.1%) and attitude (71.4%) towards routine immunization. Some children (17.6%) had minor adverse events after immunization such as fever, pain and redness at the site of vaccination. Caregivers’ knowledge and attitude towards immunization, and the occurrence of adverse events after immunization in previous immunization session were significantly related to the status of complete immunization coverage (P<0.001). Conclusions: Complete immunization coverage among children living in the rural area of Mon State stands at 83% and should be improved. Health education campaigns with appropriate strategies should be reinforced or strengthened to enhance immunization coverage.