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Immunisation timeliness for a birth cohort in Christchurch. Christchurch Immunisation Coordination Study Group
Insights
New Zealand
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Immunisation
- Paediatric Medicine
Background:
- Assessing national immunisation coverage goals.
- Evaluating timely vaccination delivery in Christchurch.
Purpose of the Study:
- Determine if Christchurch met New Zealand's immunisation targets.
- Assess the timeliness of scheduled infant vaccinations.
Main Methods:
- Cohort study of infants born in Christchurch (June-August 1995).
- Matched birth records with immunisation benefit claims.
- Traced infants with incomplete records for verification.
Main Results:
- 95.8% of infants achieved full immunisation by age two.
- Late attendance for early visits correlated with subsequent delays.
- Delayed early visits were associated with incomplete vaccination by age two.
Conclusions:
- Christchurch met the Immunisation 2000 target of 95% coverage.
- Timeliness of early infant immunisation is critical for complete vaccination schedules.
Aims:
To determine whether New Zealand's goals for immunisation coverage are being met in Christchurch and to assess whether scheduled vaccinations are being delivered in a timely fashion.
Methods:
A cohort of all infants born in Christchurch during June, July and August 1995 were matched with immunisation benefit claim information for the 6-week, 3-month, 5-month and 15-month immunisation events. Those with incomplete reports were traced for amendment or verification of their immunisation status.
Results:
The cohort contained 1002 infants. The full complement of scheduled immunisations was delivered to an estimated 95.8% (95% CI: 94.5, 97.2) of infants within the cohort by two years of age. Infants who presented late for their 6-week immunisation visits were significantly more likely to be late for their next visits (chi 2 log rank = 8.2, df = 1, p < 0.01), as were those late for their 3-month visits (chi 2 = 20.9, df = 1, p < 0.01), and their 5-month visits (chi 2 = 52.5, df = 1, p < 0.01). Infants were significantly less likely to receive their full complement of immunisations by two years of age if they presented late for their 6-week (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.01), 3-month (p < 0.01) or 5-month (p = 0.01) immunisation visits.
Conclusions:
The Immunisation 2000 target of 95% full immunisation coverage by two years of age was met by this cohort. However, infants who were late for any immunisation visits were more likely to be late for subsequent visits and incompletely vaccinated by two years of age, compared to those infants who presented on time.