Variations in estimates of Guatemalan infant mortality, vaccination coverage, and ORS use reported by different...

All available estimates of rates of infant mortality, vaccination coverage (for BCG, DPT 3, polio 3, measles, and tetanus toxoid), and ORS use in Guatemala in the 1980s were identified and investigated. A large number of sources and estimates were found. Large discrepancies were also found between the estimates for a given indicator, even when the estimates were reported for the same year by the same source. For instance, reports for 1985 yielded 10 different infant mortality estimates ranging from 56.0 to 79.8 deaths per 1,000 live births; vaccination coverage estimates ranging from 30% to 60.5% for BCG, 3.5% to 34.2% for DPT 3, 3.5% to 33.5% for polio 3, 11% to 58.2% for measles, and 1% to 8.2% for tetanus toxoid; and estimated use rates of oral rehydration solution ranging from 3.5% to 7.2%. In this same vein, three Guatemalan Ministry of Health estimates of infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 1984 ranged from 52.4 to 79.8; four UNICEF estimates for 1985 ranged from 65 to 79.8; and three USAID estimates for 1987 ranged from 59 to 72. The many reasons found for this diversity point to significant problems influencing the reliability of current data.