13 Assessing Current Approaches to Childhood Immunizations Department of Psychology, Grand Canyon University PSY-550: Research Methods Dr. Shari Schwartz May 19, 2021 Introduction Immunization is the process in which an individual is protected against disease, and it is done via vaccination. On the other hand, vaccination is the action of a vaccine being introduced into the body to produce immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine is a product that arouses the immune system of an individual, thus the production of immunity to a particular disease. The immunity thus protects the individual from that disease. Immunity is the protection from a disease that is infectious. Child immunization is the primary public health approach in the reduction of child mortality and morbidity. Assessment of the current approaches that are linked to the immunization of a child is essential. Globally, primary immunization is estimated to prevent approximately 2.5 million childhood deaths annually from tetanus, diphtheria, measles, and pertussis (Dube et al., 2013). Immunization succession is always accompanied by rejection of public health practices, and reasons for these have never been straightforward. Some of the motivations are religious, scientific, or even political. To reduce the incidence and prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccination programs depend on a high uptake level. Vaccination offers protection for vaccinated individuals. When there are high vaccination coverage rates, the indirect protection rate is stimulated for the overall community (Dube et al., 2013).Literature Review Despite this massive use, immunization coverage in countries still developing has been reported to be still low. If mothers were educated on the importance of these vaccine services to their children, all the children would receive immunization as per the Expanded Program on the Immunization schedule, hence preventing mortality and morbidity. According to Thapar et al., in 2014, approximately an 18.7million children could not get the third dose of the Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus (DPT3) vaccine. The total percentage of children who are one year and below and have to receive their dosses of DPT3 vaccine is seen as a proxy indicator regarding full immunization. The DPT3 estimates assess the health system performance and measure the immunization program effectiveness regarding service delivery. These strategies are thus used in the implementation of strategies for the elimination and eradication of diseases. According to Thapar et al., the global coverage for DPT1 and DPT3 was 90% and 86%, respectively, while that of measles first dose at 86%. The above estimates thus do not replicate the seen differences in vaccine coverage. The coverage of DPT1 and DPT3 varied from 84% and 76% in Africa and 97% and 94% in the European countries. In India, the routine has been lower than in the rest of the countries. Following the 2013 outbreak in Israel, many paren ...