Childhood vaccination coverage estimates in South Africa are under scrutiny after questions emerged about the population figures used to calculate national immunisation rates.
The National Department of Health said in late August that more than one-third of babies younger than one were completely unvaccinated. However, public health specialists in several provinces have questioned whether the data accurately reflect conditions on the ground.
The department subsequently said that uncertainty about Statistics South Africa’s midyear population estimates could have affected its calculations. It has started reviewing the population denominator used to determine vaccination coverage.