Reducing Vaccination Dropout Rates and Improving Uptake of MCV2 in Tabora Council

The program supported local planning, conducted trainings and review meetings, and assisted with the design of community registers. In Tabora Council, MCV2 coverage rates were lower than the national average for two consecutive years, prompting a call for additional support. Tanzania maintains high immunization coverage across the country, with a Pentavalent 3 vaccine coverage rate of 90% nationally for over 10 years. However, MCV2 coverage has been slow, with a national coverage rate of 29% in 2014. Although national MCV2 coverage has improved steadily since then, reaching 79% in 2016, it remains low relative to other routine immunizations. MCV2 coverage varies significantly between and within regions and councils. In 2017, the MCV2 coverage rate in Tabora Council was 65%, which triggered a call for additional support to increase and maintain MCV2 coverage. MCSP worked with stakeholders at multiple levels of the health system to improve uptake of MCV2 in Tabora. For example, MCSP assisted the local government to improve planning for vaccine delivery, and Vitus Ntega, the Tabora Municipal Immunization and Vaccine Officer, developed several strategies to raise and maintain Tabora's MCV2 coverage rate. The community register, also known as the "My Village My Home" tool, was used to facilitate immunization defaulter tracking by community health workers (CHWs). Ramadhan Shaban, a Tabora CHW, explained how the tool helped him to track children's immunization status and identify immunization defaulters. Dr. Boniface Yombo, the Tabora district medical officer, reviewed MCV2 data and emphasized the importance of supportive supervision and monitoring the progress of health facilities' performance to ensure that all children are reached with vaccinations. MCSP support also helped to strengthen activities within Tabora Council health facilities. For example, in 2017, the Tumbi Dispensary had one of the lowest MCV2 coverage rates in the region at 31%. However, by 2018, MCV2 coverage increased to 148% due to defaulter tracing and identifying children to vaccinate above the target. Regina Kimwaga, the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) in-charge at Tumbi Dispensary, described how her facility achieved such impressive results in a very short period.