ABSTRACT
The six childhood diseases preventable by immunization (measles, pertussis, neonatal tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, and diphtheria) are responsible for a considerable proportion of the high morbidity, mortality, and disability of Ethiopian children. Immunization coverage in 1990 was encouraging, but the impact of the Expanded Programme on Immunization program in terms of morbidity, mortality, and disability reduction is difficult to assess in view of limited and unreliable information available for the computation of these indices. Routine surveillance for monitoring the incidence of immunizable childhood diseases is virtually nonexistent. Recognizing the seriousness of these diseases and taking into account the useful experiences gained from the national smallpox eradication program, the Ministry of Health established an Expanded program on immunization (EPI) in 1980 with the assistance of WHO, UNICEF, and the United Nations Development Program. The chapter describes the occurrence of the six EPI diseases in Ethiopia and the progress made by the EPI program toward achieving universal child immunization by 1990.
