A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess the Coverage and Determinants of theMeasles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign in an Urban Field Practice Area

Background: Measles and rubella are highly contagious viral diseases preventable through vaccination.Achieving and sustaining high coverage through mass campaigns is critical for disease elimination. The presentstudy aimed to estimate the coverage of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign and identify reasons fornon-vaccination among children in an urban field practice area.Objectives: To estimate the coverage of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign among children aged9 months to 15 years in the urban field practice area. Additionally, to identify the reasons for non-immunizationin this population.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from Jan 2023 to December 2023 in the urbanfield practice area of the Department of Community Medicine, Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College, Hazaribagh,Jharkhand. A total of 80 children aged 9 months to 15 years were selected through simple random sampling. Datawere collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire administered to caregivers, and analyzed usingSPSS version 25.Results: The overall MR vaccination coverage was 70%. Male children had higher coverage (76.5%) comparedto females (65.2%). Schools served as the primary site of immunization (64.3%), with school teachers being themain source of campaign awareness (35%). The major reasons for non-vaccination included illness on the day ofvaccination (33.3%) and lack of awareness (29.2%). Only minor adverse events were reported post-vaccination.Conclusion: The study revealed suboptimal MR vaccine coverage, emphasizing the need for enhanced awareness,gender-equitable outreach, and targeted follow-up strategies to bridge immunization gaps.