Peer-reviewed article
Immunisation rates among children in Nuuk
Nadja Albertsen, Ivalu Meincke Fencker, Heidi Egede Noasen, Michael Lynge Pedersen ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study measured immunisation coverage rates among children in Nuuk, Greenland between July 2015 and June 2016. Researchers reviewed medical records of all eligible children and found acceptable coverage for children under 12 months, but coverage rates fell below WHO recommendations for older children. Coverage among children aged 15 months to 4 years dropped to as low as 33.9%, indicating a significant gap in the immunisation programme that requires improved monitoring and organisation.
Key points
- Acceptable immunisation coverage rates were found among children younger than 12 months
- Coverage rates were lower than WHO recommendations among older children
- Coverage among children between 15 months and 4 years dropped as low as 33.9%
- Greenland's immunisation programme includes BCG and Hepatitis B vaccines in addition to Denmark's programme
- Immunisation rates in Greenland were previously unknown before this study
Limitations
The study only covers one year (2015-2016) and one city (Nuuk), so findings may not represent immunisation rates across all of Greenland or over longer time periods. The document does not explain the reasons for the drop in coverage rates among older children.
Abstract
The children immunisation programme in Greenland correlates to the one in Denmark with the addition of the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG)-vaccine and the immunisation against Hepatitis B (HBV). The immunisation rate among children in Greenland has been and is currently unknown and this study aims to estimate the immunisation rates among children in Nuuk from 1 July 2015 until 30 June 2016. We did an observational cross-sectional study based on a statistical extraction identifying all children in Nuuk eligible for an immunization in the children immunisation programme from 1 July 2015 until 30 June 2016 and a review of their medical records. We found acceptable coverage rates among children younger than 12 months, but coverage rates lower than recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) among older children. Among children between 15 months and 4 years the coverage dropped as low as 33.9 %. Increased awareness of child immunisation rates is suggested including continuously monitoring and adjusting of the organisation of the immunisation programme. ABBREVIATIONS: Bacille Calmette-Guerin immunisation (BCG); Chief Medical Officer (CMO); Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Polio, Haemophilus influenza B, Pneumococcal (DTP); Electronic medical report (EMR); Hepatitis B (HBV); Human Papilloma Virus (HPV); Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR); World Health Organization (WHO).