Highlights • We estimate the economic impact of a measles outbreak in Ethiopia. • We included household and health sector perspectives in the impact. • Household economic cost/case equivalent to one ...month of average income. • Majority of outbreak economic cost was covered by the health sector. • Opportunity costs are usually unmeasured but were 43% of outbreak economic cost.
Quantitative and qualitative assessments have revealed diverse factors that influence the uptake of childhood immunisation services and shed light on reasons for vaccination delays and refusals. ...UNICEF and partner organisations developed the Immunisation Caregiver Journey Framework as a novel way to understand caregiver experiences in accessing and receiving immunisation services for children. This framework aims to help immunisation programmes identify vaccination barriers and opportunities to improve vaccination uptake by enhancing the overall caregiver journey in a systems-focused manner, using human-centred design principles. In this paper, we adapt the framework into a flexible qualitative inquiry approach with theoretical guidance from interpretative phenomenology. We draw from the implementation experiences in Sierra Leone to inform methodological guidance on how to design and implement the Immunisation Caregiver Journey Interviews (ICJI) to understand the lived experiences of caregivers as they navigate immunisation services for their children. Practical guidance is provided on sampling techniques, conducting interviews, data management, data analysis and the use of data to inform programmatic actions. When properly implemented, the ICJI approach generates a rich qualitative understanding of how caregivers navigate household and community dynamics, as well as primary healthcare delivery systems. We argue that understanding and improving the caregiver journey will enhance essential immunisation outcomes, such as the completion of the recommended vaccination schedule, timeliness of vaccination visits and reduction in dropouts between vaccine doses.
Highlights • Administration of multiple injectable vaccines during a single visit is increasing necessary. • Administering multiple injections may not always be acceptable to caregivers and ...vaccinators. • 9.9% of vaccinators and 35.7% of caregivers expressed concerns regarding multiple injections. • Nevertheless all children surveyed received the required vaccines when vaccines were available.
Following the piloting of VaxTrac, an electronic immunization registry (EIR), we conducted a rapid assessment in November-December 2017 to evaluate the use of the EIR in 10 health facilities in ...Western Area Urban district in Sierra Leone 1. In this data-in-brief report, we provide additional descriptive data from the assessment of the VaxTrac EIR in Sierra Leone. The assessment comprised aggregate data on vaccine doses administered that were abstracted from VaxTrac and three paper-based sources (daily tally sheets, register of children under the age of 2 years, and a summary form of doses administered). Data were abstracted for the following six vaccine doses in the immunization schedule in Sierra Leone: 1) Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine, 2) first dose of pentavalent vaccine, 3) second dose of pentavalent vaccine, 4) third dose of pentavalent vaccine, 5) first dose of measles-containing vaccine, and 6) second dose of measles-containing vaccine. We descriptively analysed the abstracted data to examine the congruity between VaxTrac records and the three paper-based sources. Bar graphs were generated to visually depict the variations in number of administered vaccine doses by data source for each health facility. We provide the aggregated data for each vaccine dose abstracted by data source from each health facility as supplemental material (Excel file). The supplementary data reveal patterns in the congruity of vaccine doses captured that have implications for policy and programmatic decisions regarding the use of VaxTrac and other similar EIRs in low resource urban settings.
The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic disrupted childhood immunization in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. After the epidemic, the Government of Sierra Leone prioritized community engagement to increase ...vaccination confidence and uptake. To support these efforts, we examined potential drivers of vaccination confidence and uptake in Sierra Leone.
We conducted a population-based household survey with primary caregivers of children in a birth cohort of 12 to 23 months in four districts with low vaccination coverage in Sierra Leone in 2019. Modified Poisson regression modeling with robust variance estimation was used to examine if perceived community engagement in planning the immunization program in the community was associated with vaccination confidence and having a fully vaccinated child.
The sample comprised 621 age-eligible children and their caregivers (91% response rate). Half of the caregivers (52%) reported that it usually takes too long to get to the vaccination site, and 36% perceived that health workers expect money for vaccination services that are supposed to be given at no charge. When mothers were the decision-makers of the children's vaccination, 80% of the children were fully vaccinated versus 69% when fathers were the decision-makers and 56% when other relatives were the decision-makers. Caregivers with high confidence in vaccination were more likely to have fully vaccinated children compared to caregivers with low confidence (78% versus 53%). For example, caregivers who thought vaccines are 'very much' safe were more likely to have fully vaccinated children than those who thought vaccines are 'somewhat' safe (76% versus 48%). Overall, 53% of caregivers perceived high level of community engagement, 41% perceived medium level of engagement, and 6% perceived low level of engagement. Perceiving high community engagement was associated with expressing high vaccination confidence (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) = 2.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.67-4.04) and having a fully vaccinated child (aPR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.18-2.38).
In these four low coverage districts in Sierra Leone, the perceived level of community engagement was strongly associated with vaccination confidence among caregivers and vaccination uptake among children. We have provided exploratory cross-sectional evidence to inform future longitudinal assessments to further investigate the potential causal effect of community engagement on vaccination confidence and uptake.
Globally, suboptimal vaccine coverage is a public health concern. According to Uganda's 2016 Demographic and Health Survey, only 49% of 12- to 23-month-old children received all recommended ...vaccinations by 12 months of age. Innovative ways are needed to increase coverage, reduce dropout, and increase awareness among caregivers to bring children for timely vaccination.
This study evaluates a personalized, automated caregiver mobile phone-delivered text message reminder intervention to reduce the proportion of children who start but do not complete the vaccination series for children aged 12 months and younger in select health facilities in Arua district.
A two-arm, multicenter, parallel group randomized controlled trial was conducted in four health facilities providing vaccination services in and around the town of Arua. Caregivers of children between 6 weeks and 6 months of age at the time of their first dose of pentavalent vaccine (Penta1; containing diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b antigens) were recruited and interviewed. All participants received the standard of care, defined as the health worker providing child vaccination home-based records to caregivers as available and providing verbal instruction of when to return for the next visit. At the end of each day, caregivers and their children were randomized by computer either to receive or not receive personalized, automated text message reminders for their subsequent vaccination visits according to the national schedule. Text message reminders for Penta2 were sent 2 days before, on the day of, and 2 days after the scheduled vaccination visit. Reminders for Penta3 and the measles-containing vaccine were sent on the scheduled day of vaccination and 5 and 7 days after the scheduled day. Study personnel conducted postintervention follow-up interviews with participants at the health facilities during the children's measles-containing vaccine visit. In addition, focus group discussions were conducted to assess caregiver acceptability of the intervention, economic data were collected to evaluate the incremental costs and cost-effectiveness of the intervention, and health facility record review forms were completed to capture service delivery process indicators.
Of the 3485 screened participants, 1961 were enrolled from a sample size of 1962. Enrollment concluded in August 2016. Follow-up interviews of study participants, including data extraction from the children's vaccination cards, data extraction from the health facility immunization registers, completion of the health facility record review forms, and focus group discussions were completed by December 2017. The results are expected to be released in 2021.
Prompting health-seeking behavior with reminders has been shown to improve health intervention uptake. Mobile phone ownership continues to grow in Uganda, so their use in vaccination interventions such as this study is logical and should be evaluated with scientifically rigorous study designs.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04177485; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04177485.
DERR1-10.2196/17262.
Global Routine Vaccination Coverage, 2016 Feldstein, Leora R.; Mariat, Stephanie; Gacic-Dobo, Marta ...
MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report,
11/2017, Letnik:
66, Številka:
45
Journal Article, Newsletter
Odprti dostop
The Global Vaccine Action Plan 2011-2020 (GVAP) (1), endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2012, calls on all countries to reach ≥90% national coverage for all vaccines in the country's routine ...immunization schedule by 2020. CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) evaluated the WHO and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) global vaccination coverage estimates to describe changes in global and regional coverage as of 2016. Global coverage estimates for the third dose of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis-containing vaccine (DTP3), the third dose of polio vaccine, and the first dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) have ranged from 84% to 86% since 2010. The dropout rate (the proportion of children who started but did not complete a vaccination series), an indicator of immunization program performance, was estimated to be 5% in 2016 for the 3-dose DTP series, with dropout highest in the African Region (11%) and lowest in the Western Pacific Region (0.4%). During 2010-2016, estimated global coverage with the second MCV dose (MCV2) increased from 21% to 46% by the end of the second year of life and from 39% to 64% when older age groups (3-14 years) were included (2). Improvements in national immunization program performance are necessary to reach and sustain high vaccination coverage to increase protection from vaccine-preventable diseases for all persons.
Without treatment, approximately half of HIV-infected infants die by age 2 years, and 80% die before age 5 years. Early identification of HIV-infected and HIV-exposed infants provides opportunities ...for life-saving interventions. We evaluated integration of HIV-related services with routine infant immunization in Tanzania.
During April 2009 to March 2010, at 4 urban and 4 rural sites, mothers' HIV status was determined at first-month immunization using antenatal cards. HIV-exposed infants were offered HIV testing and follow-up care. Impact of integrated service delivery was assessed by comparing average monthly vaccine doses administered during the study period and a 2-year baseline period; acceptance was assessed by interviewing mothers and service providers.
During 7569 visits, 308 HIV-exposed infants were identified and registered; of these, 290 (94%) were tested, 15 (5%) were HIV infected. At urban sites, first-month vaccine doses remained stable (+2% for pentavalent vaccine and -4% for polio vaccine), and vaccine doses given later in life (pentavalent, polio, and measles) increased 12%, 8%, and 11%, respectively. At rural sites, first-month vaccine doses decreased 33% and 35% and vaccine doses given later in life decreased 23%, 28%, and 28%. Mothers and service providers generally favored integrated services; however, HIV-related stigma and inadequate confidentiality controls of HIV testing were identified, particularly at rural sites.
Integration of HIV-related services at immunization visits identified HIV-exposed infants, HIV-infected infants, and HIV-infected mothers; however, decreases in vaccine doses administered at rural sites were concerning. HIV-related service integration with immunization visits needs careful monitoring to ensure optimum vaccine delivery.
Urban childhood immunization programs face unique challenges in access, utilization, and demand due to frequent population movement between and within localities, sprawling informal settlements, and ...population heterogeneity. We conducted a cross-sectional household survey in the Western Area Urban district, Sierra Leone, stratified by slums and non-slums as defined by the United Nations Development Program.
Based on data from child vaccination cards, weighted vaccination coverage was estimated from 450 children aged 12-36 months (household response rate = 83%). Interviews with 444 caregivers identified factors related to accessing routine immunization services. Factors associated with coverage in bivariate analyses were examined in multivariate models using backward stepwise procedure.
Coverage was similar in slums and non-slums for 3-doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-hepatitis B-
type b (pentavalent) vaccine (86%, 92%) and second dose of measles vaccine (33%, 29%). In a multivariate logistic regression model, incomplete pentavalent vaccine coverage was associated with being second or later birth order (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 4.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4-14.9), a household member not approving of childhood vaccinations (aOR = 7.55, 95% CI = 1.52-37.38), self-reported delay of child receiving recommended vaccinations (aOR = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.0-22.1), and living in a household made of natural or rudimentary materials (aOR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.2-10.6). Overall, the majority (>70%) of caregivers reported occupation as petty trader and <50% reported receiving vaccination information via preferred communication sources.
Although vaccination coverage in slums was similar to non-slums, study findings support the need for targeted interventions to improve coverage, especially for the second dose of measles vaccine to avoid large scale measles outbreaks. Strategies should focus on educating household members via preferred communication channels regarding the importance of receiving childhood vaccinations on time for all offspring, not just the first born. Vaccination coverage could be further improved by increasing accessibility through innovative strategies such as increasing the number of vaccination days and modifying hours.
Global Routine Vaccination Coverage, 2015 Casey, Rebecca M.; Dumolard, Laure; Danovaro-Holliday, M. Carolina ...
MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report,
11/2016, Letnik:
65, Številka:
45
Journal Article, Newsletter
Odprti dostop
In 1974, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Expanded Program on Immunization* to provide protection against six vaccine-preventable diseases through routine infant immunization (1). ...Based on 2015 WHO and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates, global coverage with the third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (DTP3), the first dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) and the third dose of polio vaccine (Pol3) has remained stable (84%-86%) since 2010. From 2014 to 2015, estimated global coverage with the second MCV dose (MCV2) increased from 39% to 43% by the end of the second year of life and from 58% to 61% when older age groups were included. Global coverage was higher in 2015 than 2010 for newer or underused vaccines, including rotavirus vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), rubella vaccine, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine, and 3 doses of hepatitis B (HepB3) vaccine. Coverage estimates varied widely by WHO Region, country, and district; in addition, for the vaccines evaluated (MCV, DTP3, Pol3, HepB3, Hib3), wide disparities were found in coverage by country income classification. Improvements in equity of access are necessary to reach and sustain higher coverage and increase protection from vaccine-preventable diseases for all persons.
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