A National Survey to Evaluate Measles-Rubella National Vaccination Campaign Coverage in Egypt

Background: A national vaccination campaign for measles and rubella (MR) was conducted in Egypt in the period from October 31 to November 21, 2015, across Egyptian governorates by the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP), in collaboration with World Health Organization and UNICEF. It targeted 24 million children aged 9 months to 10 years. Objectives: The present survey aimed at evaluating coverage of the MR national vaccination campaign, to identify the gaps and generate sound recommendations for the upcoming campaigns. Methods: A cluster survey was conducted targeting children aged 9 months to less than 10 years. This household survey was carried out in 26 governorates of Egypt. In each governorate 240 interviews were completed. Results: The survey revealed that the campaign achieved an overall coverage of 98.2% compared to 109.8% vaccination coverage as reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Some clusters showed below target coverage in a couple of governorates (Port Said 93.3% and Qena 93.8%). Nonvaccinated children constituted 1.8% of all surveyed children. When causes of non-vaccination were enquired about, the most frequently mentioned cause was ignorance of parents about the vaccination campaign (43 children, 38.1%). Conclusion: The MOHP implementation of the national MR campaign was successful and achieved its objective for increased coverage with MR vaccine among the target age group.