Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41961779›Full record

ArticlePLOS global public health2026

Routine childhood immunization coverage, timeliness, dropout, and missed opportunities in Northern Ghana: Evidence from a community-based survey in Tamale Metropolis, Ghana.

Matthew Konlan, Chrysantus Kubio, Sheila Agyeiwaa Owusu, Fuseini Mahama, Benedict Ofori Appiah, Michael Rockson Adjei, Oheneba Boadum, Martin Nyaaba Adokiya, Peter Gyamfi Kwarteng, Maxwell Oduro Yeboah and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLOS global public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Matthew KonlanDivision of Global Health, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1970-5639
Chrysantus KubioNorthern Regional Health Directorate, Ghana Health Service, Tamale, Ghana.
Sheila Agyeiwaa OwusuDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5172-2842
Fuseini MahamaNorthern Regional Health Directorate, Ghana Health Service, Tamale, Ghana.
Benedict Ofori AppiahNorthern Regional Health Directorate, Ghana Health Service, Tamale, Ghana.
Michael Rockson AdjeiWHO Country Office for Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Oheneba BoadumDepartment of Clinical Anatomy, Sam Houston State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Conroe, Texas, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2628-8400
Martin Nyaaba AdokiyaDepartment of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
Peter Gyamfi KwartengDepartment of Health and Nutrition, UNICEF Ghana, Tamale, Ghana.
Maxwell Oduro YeboahDepartment of Nursing, Northern Regional Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.
Hilarius Asiwome Kosi AbiwuNational Malaria Elimination Programme, Public Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Routine childhood immunization plays a crucial role in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases and child mortality. However, sustained progress requires not only high coverage but also timely administration, continuity across multi-dose schedules, and minimization of missed opportunities for vaccination. Persistent subnational inequities, post-COVID-19 disruptions, and gaps in service delivery threaten progress toward Immunization Agenda 2030 targets. This study assessed routine immunization coverage, timeliness, dropout rates, and missed opportunities for vaccination among children aged 12-59 months in the Tamale Metropolis of northern Ghana. We conducted a descriptive analysis of 1,020 children aged 12-59 months, drawn from a larger community-based cross-sectional study involving 1,577 children aged 0-59 months in the Tamale Metropolis. Multi-stage sampling was used to select mothers or caregivers of eligible children in this study. Trained research assistants collected data from November to December 2022 through face-to-face interviews, and a review of home-based records using a validated questionnaire. Findings were summarized using descriptive statistics. Our findings showed that 35.0% of the children were fully vaccinated according to the complete national immunization schedule, while 10.0% received no basic vaccines. Crude coverage for vaccines administered at 6, 10, and 14 weeks exceeded 70%., Notably, coverage was low for MenA (44.3%), MR2 (44.1%), and Rota3 (43.2%). A significant proportion of children received vaccine doses either before the recommended age, at intervals shorter than recommended, or delayed by more than two months. Dropout was high and varied across subdistricts, with Rota 1-3 reaching 51.6%. Among children with missed opportunities for vaccination, about 50% of missed doses were corrected within one to two months. Persistent gaps in timeliness, high dropout rates, and missed opportunities for vaccination threaten Ghana's ability to achieve IA2030 targets. Strengthening digital immunization registries, defaulter tracing systems, targeted interventions, and enhanced engagement with healthcare providers is essential to ensure comprehensive vaccine coverage.

Identifiers

PMID41961779
PMCPMC13068253

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.