Timor-Leste’s immunization coverage is among the poorest in Asia. The 2009/2010 Demographic and Health Survey found that complete vaccination coverage in urban areas, at 47.7%, was lower than in rural areas, at 54.1%. The city of Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, had even lower coverage (43.4%) than the national urban average.
A mixed-methods (mainly qualitative) study was conducted in 5 urban sub-districts of Dili, involved in-depth interviews with18 Ministry of Health staff and 6 community leaders, 83 observations of immunization encounters, 37 exit interviews with infants’ caregivers at 11 vaccination sites, and 11 focus group discussions with 70 caregivers of vaccination-eligible children ages 6 to 23 months.
This journal article investigates the reasons why Timor-Leste hosts some of the poorest immunization rates in Asia in spite of high literacy rates in urban settings and relatively quality access to immunization services and communication media.
Authors: Ruhul Amin, Telma Joana Corte Real de Oliveira, Mateus Da Cunha, Tanya Wells Brown, Michael Favin, Kelli Cappelier
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