Tetanus and diphtheria immunization coverage in Ecuadorian children after a national vaccination campaign

Between October 1985 and June 1986, a national vaccination campaign was launched in Ecuador. Between March and November 1986, 7798 Ecuadorian children < 5 years old were enrolled in a representative health survey. According to their vaccination cards, 65% of children had a complete series of three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccination. Serum samples were obtained from a subset of 1400 children; by ELISA, 80% had serologic evidence of recent DTP vaccination and > 80% of the newborns had tetanus antitoxin titers, indicating recent tetanus vaccination of their mothers. For all 1400 children, median tetanus and diphtheria antitoxin titers were 1.0 and 0.6 IU/mL, respectively. These data indicate the possibility of success of such vaccination campaigns if supported by the government.