Examining factors associated with BCG and Poliomyelitis vaccination coverage in Tanzanian and Kenyan children aged 12 to 23 months using DHS surveys

The rapid spread of infectious diseases in eastern Africa has made vaccination a major health factor in the region. This study aims to evaluate the factors affecting vaccination coverage with the BCG and Poliomyelitis vaccines in Tanzanian and Kenyan children aged 12 to 23 months. In May 2021, we collected data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from 2014-2016 for Kenya and Tanzania and evaluated how different variables such as the sex of the child, maternal age, maternal educational level, availability of health facilities, access to electricity in the household, and birth order affect the vaccination coverage. We used Pearson’s chi-squared tests with Yates’ continuity correction and Welch Two Sample t-tests to analyze the dependence of vaccination coverage on different variables. We found out that the sex of the child, access to electricity and birth order do not affect the BCG and Poliomyelitis vaccination coverage, but variables such as the child receiving at least one of the vaccines, maternal age, maternal education, and availability of health facilities significantly affect the BCG and Poliomyelitis vaccination coverage in Tanzania and Kenya