Enhancing birth vaccination coverage via health facility geospatial mapping in Nigeria

Birth vaccination is a cornerstone of health protection for infants globally and its timely administration is generally recommended. In Nigeria, however, the coverage and timeliness of birth vaccination have been suboptimal, primarily attributed to the high proportion of children born outside the health facility where the vaccines are available. The situation re-enacts the existing challenges with health service access and utilization in the country, especially the geographic inaccessibility of healthcare facilities. Difficulty in accessing care facilities, in terms of the insufficient number, uneven distribution, long distance and travel times, and transportation challenges, is a well-documented barrier to skilled obstetric service use, institutional delivery, and immunization coverage. This has been linked to poor maternal and child health outcomes, especially among the rural subpopulations. Geospatial mapping of health facilities has emerged as a tool to surmount the accessibility barriers and influence other determinants of vaccination uptake. Spatial technologies have been used to promote the accessibility and reach of health interventions, including immunization programs. This paper advocates maximizing the utility of this tool for enhanced birth vaccination coverage in Nigeria, by integrating private actors like private clinics and traditional birth attendants who contribute significantly within the country’s obstetric space.