Predictors of uptake of newly introduced vaccines in Malawi - monovalent human rotavirus and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines: Evidence from the 2015-16 Malawi demographic and health survey.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the uptake and predictors of monovalent human rotavirus and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines among children of age 12-35 months in Malawi.

Methods: This study used cross-sectional data obtained from the 2015-16 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the factors related to uptake of pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccination.

Results: The uptake of rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines was 90.96% and 88.84%, respectively. The multivariate logistic results showed that children whose mothers had no formal education, who did not attend postnatal care for the baby within 2 months and had no vaccination card or had lost it were less likely to achieve vaccination uptake. Furthermore, children from northern region had increased odds of achieving vaccination uptake.

Conclusions: Strategies aimed at increasing further uptake of rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines should target uneducation women to improve health knowledge on vaccination.