Determinants of vaccination coverage in Malawi: evidence from the demographic and health surveys.

The purpose of this paper is to identify groups of children in Malawi who are less or not reached by vaccination services by using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in Malawi in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004. These surveys have shown that the proportion of children aged 12-23 months who were fully vaccinated by 12 months of age has been decreasing: it was 67% in 1992, then 55%, 54% and 51% in 1996, 2000 and 2004, respectively. The review has also shown that birth order of the child, residence (rural/urban) and mother's education are major determinants of the immunization status of the child.