High resolution mapping of childhood vaccination coverage in low and middle income countries using point-referenced and areal data

Vaccination coverage is an important indicator used in assessing the performance of immunization programs. However, coverage levels and numbers covered are typically measured through national statistics or at the scale of large regions. These mask epidemiologically-important heterogeneities and coldspots of low coverage that may allow diseases to persist, even if overall coverage is high. Hence, to decrease inequities and accelerate progress towards disease elimination goals, fine-scale variation in coverage should be better characterized.
In this talk, I will discuss Bayesian geostatistical methods and data sets used in producing high-resolution maps of the coverage of measles and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccinations for varying age groups of children aged under five years in some priority countries. I will also present a novel disaggregation approach for mapping vaccination coverage using areal unit based data in settings where point-referenced data are inaccessible.