Measles vaccination timeliness and associated factors among infants/children aged 9-24 months in the Bule Hora district, west Guji zone, Oromia, southern Ethiopia

Background Vaccine timeliness is the administration of vaccines within the specified schedule of immunization. There are more than 1 million deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases each year, accounting for 30% of deaths among those less than 5 years of age. A measles vaccine program achievement has been previously assessed mainly through the measurement of vaccine coverage, with less emphasis on the timing of vaccine administration. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the timeliness and associated factors for measles vaccination among children aged 9–24 months in the Bule Hora district, Oromia, southern Ethiopia. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Bule Hora district from May 1–June 30, 2024. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify the associations between the dependent and independent variables. The associations were measured using odd ratios with 95% CIs, and a p value of ≤ 0.05 was used for final interpretation. Results A total of 361 mother‒child pairs participated in the study, making a response rate of 98.9%. The overall vaccination timeliness for MCV1 and MCV2 were 54% (95% CI: 49.1%, 59.4%) and 58% (95% CI: 48.3%, 67.3%), respectively. Compared with Protestants, Muslim mothers (AOR = 3.25; 95% CI: 1.45, 5.14) vaccinated their children timely. In contrast, mothers with a secondary educational level (AOR = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.45), mothers who had no PNC visit (AOR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.86), and mothers who walked 30–60 minutes to vaccinate their child (AOR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.67) had a negative association with timely vaccination. Conclusion This study revealed that there was a significant delay in measles vaccination. Maternal educational status, religion, distance from health facilities, and postnatal visits were factors significantly associated with vaccination timeliness. Therefore, healthcare providers should focus on providing counseling mothers on the role of timely vaccination in disease prevention.