KEY MESSAGES
Measles Rubella (MR2) Vaccination coverage in Rwanda decreased from 96% to 84% during the pandemic.
The drop in vaccination coverage has led to measles outbreaks in Rwanda.
Matching Rwanda Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) and Immunization Tracker can improve vaccination coverage Integrating Digitalized Rapid Convenience Monitoring with community health workers (CHW) led MR2 vaccination campaign Performance-based financing
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Globally, more than 140,000 people died from measles in 2018; during 2000– 2018, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 23.2 million deaths [1]. Global measles deaths have decreased by 73% from an estimated 536,000 in 2000 to 142,000 in 2018 due to MR2 Vaccination, and 9 out of 10 non-immune people will catch measles if exposed to the virus [2]. The Government of Rwanda introduced in 2013 the MR combined vaccine as part of the country's efforts and goal to strengthen routine immunization and eliminate measles and rubella [3].
The MR vaccine is a combination of the measles and rubella vaccines, which are given together to provide protection against both diseases. The integration of the MR vaccine into the routine immunization program was intended to reach all infants and children under the age of five in Rwanda. Since 2014, when the MR2 was integrated into routine immunization, the coverage has been sustained according to DHIS2 data until the COVID-19 pandemic, when the MR2 vaccine coverage in Rwanda has declined from 93% in 2018 to 84% in 2022 (Figure 1) [4]. It was noticed that Measles cases in Rwanda increased from 94 cases in 2020 to 126 cases confirmed in 2021.
Studies conducted worldwide to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine immunization showed that during the initial
