Increasing immunization, Missed opportunities,

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Increasing immunization coverage and the importance of missed opportunities
The most important reasons for a child or woman of childbearing age coming to a health facility and not receiving the vaccines for which he/she is eligible:
  1. The failure to administer simultaneously all the vaccines for which a child is eligible.
  2. False contraindications for vaccination 
  3. Health worker practices, including not opening a multi-dose vial for a small number of persons to avoid vaccine wastage.
  4. Logistical problems such as vaccine shortage, poor clinic organization, and inefficient clinic scheduling.
Missed opportunities can be reduced by health centres that see women and children by:
  1. Offering immunizations as often as possible.
  2. Routinely screening the immunization status of all women and children that the centre serves.
  3. Teaching health workers which are true and which are false contraindications.
  4. Ensuring that good practice procedures are followed.
Abbreviations for particular vaccines
BCG Bacille Calmette Guerin
DT Double vaccine consisting of diphtheria toxoid and tetanus toxoid for use in children less than 10 yrs old
DTP Triple vaccine consisting of diphtheria toxoid, pertussis, and tetanus toxoid
MMR Triple vaccine consisting of vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella
MR Double vaccine consisting of measles and rubella vaccines
IPV Injected polio vaccine (Salk vaccine)
OPV Oral polio vaccine (Sabin vaccine)
Td Double vaccine consisting of tetanus toxoid and low-dose diphtheria toxoid for use in children older than 10 yrs old and adults
TT Tetanus toxoid vaccine

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