Abstract

Vaccination holds the key to eliminating or minimizing the potentially life-threatening infectious diseases. Globally, over the years, immunization has led to the eradication of fatal infectious diseases like smallpox. Thus, timely compliance with the vaccination schedule right from the time of birth ensures protection from various infectious diseases. The United States of America has one of the most successful vaccination programs, with immunization rates crossing 90% or more. However, this span of immunization rate has not been uniformly distributed. Vaccination in rural areas is significantly lower than in urban areas. This non-uniform immunization rate can be attributed to various factors, viz., lack of well-established infrastructure, socio-economic status of the population, literacy rate, and availability of well-trained healthcare providers, etc. This review will throw light on these barriers to successful vaccination programs in rural areas, along with certain recommendations that can help to improve the immunization rate.