Chile has the highest coverage of vaccines in the continent
The latest global report on immunization by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF showed that Chile maintains an elevated level of coverage in vaccines, even above the continent’s average. The rejection rate is low and, hence, the excellent levels of coverage.
According to the Immunization Department of the Ministry of Health (Minsal) and the Immunization and Vaccination Advisory Board, the national statistics indicate good coverage but when analyzed at the regional level the scenario changes showing that there are still areas in the north and south with lower coverage. As per the 2016 Seremi Health Report for the metropolitan region, out of the 52 communes there were 17 with <75% coverage in the MRM vaccine that protects against measles, rubella and mumps.
The region of Los Ríos had coverage of 77% in the vaccine against tuberculosis and Atacama barely reached 77% in the second dose of the vaccine against pneumococcus. It was noted that at the national level, the second doses are always lower. In the case of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine, the first dose administered at two months of age reached 99% coverage, but the third dose (at 18 months) drops to 95% and the fourth (booster dose) that is delivered in first basic does not exceed 88%.
