Strengthening Primary Health Care Through Implementation Research: Strategies for Reaching Zero-Dose Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries' Immunization Programs.

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Despite global improvements in immunization, major gaps persist. By 2024, an estimated 14.3 million infants, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), remained zero-dose (ZD), never having received even the first DTP vaccine. In 2022, 33 million children missed their measles vaccination (22 million missed the first dose, 11 million missed the second dose), highlighting entrenched structural, behavioral, and systemic barriers that continue to exclude marginalized populations. Addressing these inequities requires innovative, context-adapted approaches that strengthen primary health care (PHC) and extend services to the hardest-to-reach populations. Objectives: This study aims to document and synthesize implementation research (IR) projects on immu

SUBMITTER: Oyugi B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12568197 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature