DTP3 Immunization Coverage on the Rise

 

Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough), are serious diseases. However, vaccines and immunization can protect both children, as well as adults, from these diseases. Over the years, the percentage of people who have been provided immunization against these three infectious diseases is on the rise. Diphtheria, which spreads from one person to the other, is an infection that affects the mucous membrane of the nose and throat. Tetanus, which occurs when dirt enters a wound, is not transmitted from person to person. The tetanus germs grow in wounds that have been caused by tools, dirty nails, animal bites, wood splinters etc. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, which mostly affects children, is a disease of the respiratory tract. It is caused by bacteria that grow in the nose, throat and mouth. Children who suffer from this disease have coughing spells that last from some four to eight weeks.

To deal with these infections, immunization programs have been provided that have contributed immensely in lowering the burden of these diseases. According to the World Health Organization, in 2015, the global diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis immunization coverage stood at 86 percent. This means that 14 percent children around the world did not receive the three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis containing vaccines (DTP3). Despite significant gains made in immunization coverage during the past decades, immunization coverage varies from country-to-country.

According to a World Health Organization data, in nations such as the United States, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Morocco, and some others, the immunization coverage was high. Here more than 95 percent of the people were immunized against these diseases.

Nations where the coverage of immunization against these three infections ranged between 90 and 95 percent were Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, Egypt, South Africa, New Zealand, and Lebanon, to name a few.

However, there was a striking variation among the nations where DTP3 world immunization coverage was less than 80 percent. While Ecuador and Kenya were placed on the higher side with some 78 percent immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, the Equatorial Guinea was placed at the bottom of the table with just 17 percent of the population immunized from diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

The table below provides information on the percentage of population that is covered by DTP3 immunization.

Countries	2015
Antigua and Barbuda	99
Belarus	99
Belgium	99
Bhutan	99
Brunei Darussalam	99
China	99
Cook Islands	99
Cuba	99
Greece	99
Honduras	99
Hungary	99
Jordan	99
Kuwait	99
Luxembourg	99
Malaysia	99
Maldives	99
Mongolia	99
Morocco	99
Nicaragua	99
Niue	99
Oman	99
Qatar	99
Rwanda	99
Saint Lucia	99
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	99
Sri Lanka	99
Thailand	99
Tonga	99
Turkmenistan	99
The United Arab Emirates	99
Uzbekistan	99
Afghanistan	98
Bahrain	98
Cambodia	98
Dominica	98
Iran	98
Kazakhstan	98
Poland	98
Portugal	98
The Republic of Korea	98
Saudi Arabia	98
Sweden	98
Tunisia	98
United Republic of Tanzania	98
Andorra	97
Barbados	97
Cyprus	97
Finland	97
The Gambia	97
Kyrgyzstan	97
Malta	97
Mauritius	97
The Russian Federation	97
Seychelles	97
Spain	97
Switzerland	97
Turkey	97
Vietnam	97
Azerbaijan	96
Brazil	96
Chile	96
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea	96
Ethiopia	96
Fiji	96
Japan	96
Sao Tome and Principe	96
Singapore	96
Slovakia	96
Tajikistan	96
Trinidad and Tobago	96
Tuvalu	96
The United Kingdom	96
Zimbabwe	96
Algeria	95
Bahamas	95
Eritrea	95
Guyana	95
Ireland	95
Latvia	95
The Netherlands	95
Norway	95
Serbia	95
Slovenia	95
The United States of America	95
Uruguay	95
Argentina	94
Armenia	94
Belize	94
Burundi	94
Croatia	94
The Democratic Republic of the Congo	94
Georgia	94
Saint Kitts and Nevis	94
Samoa	94
Australia	93
Bangladesh	93
Cabo Verde	93
Denmark	93
Egypt	93
Estonia	93
Italy	93
Lithuania	93
South Africa	93
Sudan	93
Chad	92
Costa Rica	92
Grenada	92
Iceland	92
Namibia	92
New Zealand	92
Bulgaria	91
Burkina Faso	91
Canada	91
Colombia	91
Côte d’Ivoire	91
El Salvador	91
Jamaica	91
Lebanon	91
Nauru	91
Nepal	91
Macedonia	91
Guinea-Bissau	90
Mali	90
Niger	90
Palau	90
Peru	90
Swaziland	90
Timor-Leste	90
Zambia	90
Bolivia	89
Ghana	89
Lao People’s Democratic Republic	89
Montenegro	89
Myanmar	89
Romania	89
Senegal	89
Suriname	89
Uganda	89
Malawi	88
Togo	88
India	87
Kiribati	87
Mexico	87
Republic of Moldova	87
Solomon Islands	87
Venezuela	87
Sierra Leone	86
Dominican Republic	85
Madagascar	85
Marshall Islands	85
Cameroon	84
Djibouti	84
Indonesia	84
Yemen	84
Benin	82
Bosnia and Herzegovina	82
Angola	80
Botswana	80
Comoros	80
Congo	80
Gabon	80
Mozambique	80
Paraguay	80
Vanuatu	80
Ecuador	78
Kenya	78
San Marino	76
Pakistan	75
Guatemala	74
Nigeria	74
Mauritania	73
Panama	73
Haiti	72
Federated States of Micronesia	72
Iraq	68
Lesotho	67
Liberia	65
Papua New Guinea	62
Guinea	60
The Philippines	60
Syrian Arab Republic	60
South Sudan	50
Central African Republic	47
Somalia	44
Ukraine	23
Equatorial Guinea	17

(Data sourced from the World Health Organization)