Codes

This variable is not available for any of the currently selected samples.

Description

For children born in the 3 to 5 years before the survey, VACBCG (H2) indicates whether the young child had received the BCG vaccination against tuberculosis. The BCG vaccination is typically given as in injection in the arm or shoulder, and it usually causes a scar.

VACBCG uses composite coding, with a first digit of 2 indicating the child had been vaccinated and the second digit indicating the source of information (a dated entry on the vaccination card, an undated mark on the vaccination card, or the mother's report).

Comparability

Apart from universe differences and slight differences in question wording, VACBCG (H2) is largely comparable across samples.

The type, timing, and number of doses in recommended vaccination schedules have varied between nations and across years. Knowledge of the recommended regimen in the region and year of interest may be required in order to determine whether the child was completely vaccinated. For more information on these recommendations, refer to "." Comparability - Standard DHS VACBCG (H2) is included in the standard DHS questionnaire for Phase I forward. In Phase I, respondents are asked to show a health card with immunization records for their children. For this phase, the health card is the only source of information for the vaccine variables. Beginning in Phase II, if a health card is not available, or if the respondent indicates the child received additional vaccines not recorded on the card, follow-up questions are asked to determine which vaccinations the child received. To maximize comparability, researchers using data from samples relying exclusively on vaccination cards should focus only on positive cases based on dated entries in the vaccination card (code "22") in later samples.

Universe