This abstract has been accepted at the 2024 DHIS2 Annual Conference
Use of dhis2 data in restoring immunization system during COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
Approximately 3.8 million children are the focus of Bangladesh’s national vaccination program each year. The District Health Information System (DHIS2) is used to track vaccination uptake across the nation. In addition, to reduce vaccine stockouts, the platform facilitates supply chain monitoring and aids in the planning of vaccination programs. On March 8, 2020, Bangladesh reported the first-ever case of COVID-19. Following this, there was a statewide lockdown and widespread terror among the populace and medical professionals, which causes by the nationwide suspension of immunization sessions. The DHIS2 data revealed that about 7% of fixed and 28% of outreach vaccination sessions were canceled nationwide in April 2020 alone. This caused coverage to regress to 50% in 36 out of 64 districts, leaving over 284,000 children without the pentavalent vaccine. A total of three drop-rebounds in coverage were observed up to 2022. To ascertain the causes of vaccine cancellations and non-vaccination, EPI authorities conducted virtual meetings with sub-national health managers, monitored the DHIS2 data closely, and pinpointed low-covered regions. Together with the World Health Organization and UNICEF, the country was able to design targeted interventions that included maintaining an uninterrupted supply chain, developing guidelines to maintain immunization during the pandemic, creating materials for social and behavioral change, and providing virtual training for healthcare workers on infection prevention and control. The DHIS2 immunization data analysis sparked all these initiatives, which were crucial in effectively bringing vaccination rates back to their pre-pandemic levels.
Primary Author: Md. Tanvir Hossen
Keywords:
Pandemic, routine immunization, dhis2 data, data- driven monitoring
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