The Hidden Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Routine Childhood Immunization Coverage in Cameroon

被引:7
作者
Saidu, Yauba [1 ,2 ]
Di Mattei, Pietro [3 ]
Nchinjoh, Sangwe Clovis [1 ,4 ]
Edwige, Nnang Nadege [1 ]
Nsah, Bernard [1 ]
Muteh, Nkwain Jude [3 ]
Ndoula, Shalom Tchokfe [5 ]
Abdullahi, Rakiya [6 ]
Zamir, Chen Stein [4 ]
Njoh, Andreas Ateke [5 ,7 ]
Adidja, Amani [8 ]
Ndiaye, Sidy [9 ]
Wiwa, Owens [1 ]
Montomoli, Emanuele [2 ,10 ,11 ]
Clemens, Sue Ann Costa [2 ,12 ]
机构
[1] Clinton Hlth Access Initiat Inc, POB 2664, Yaounde, Cameroon
[2] Univ Siena, Inst Global Hlth, I-53100 Siena, Italy
[3] Vaccine Alliance, Gavi, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland
[4] Hebrew Univ Jerusalem, Fac Med, Hadassah Braun Sch Publ Hlth & Community Med, IL-91120 Jerusalem, Israel
[5] Cameroon Minist Publ Hlth, Expanded Program Immunizat, POB 2084, Yaounde, Cameroon
[6] Clinton Hlth Access Initiat Inc, Global Vaccine Team, Boston, MA 02127 USA
[7] Euclid Univ, Sch Global Hlth & Bioeth, BP 157, Bangui, Cent Afr Republ
[8] Univ Yaounde I, Fac Med & Biomed Sci, BP 337, Yaounde, Cameroon
[9] WHO, Reg Off Africa, POB 06, Brazzaville, Rep Congo
[10] Univ Siena, Dept Mol Med, Via Aldo Moro 3, I-53100 Siena, Italy
[11] VisMederi srl, Via Ferrini 53, I-53035 Siena, Italy
[12] Univ Oxford, Dept Pediat, Oxford OX1 2JD, England
关键词
COVID-19; impact; childhood vaccination; Cameroon; REGISTRY;
D O I
10.3390/vaccines11030645
中图分类号
R392 [医学免疫学]; Q939.91 [免疫学];
学科分类号
100102 ;
摘要
Background: The third round of the global pulse survey demonstrated that the abrupt and rapid progression of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted childhood immunization in many countries. Although Cameroon has reported over 120,000 COVID-19 cases, the reported national childhood vaccination coverage during the pandemic seems to have increased compared to that during the pre-COVID-19 period. Indeed, the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis-containing vaccine (DTP-1) coverage increased from 85.4% in 2019 to 87.7% in 2020, and DTP-3 coverage increased from 79.5% in 2019 to 81.2% in 2020. The paucity of literature on the impact of COVID-19 on childhood vaccination in COVID-19 hotspot regions poses a challenge in developing a context-specific immunization recovery plan, hence the need to conduct this study. Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study using 2019 (pre-pandemic period) and 2020 (pandemic period) district childhood immunization data from the DHIS-2 database, weighted using completeness for each data entry against regional data completeness in 2020. Based on COVID-19 incidence, two hotspot regions were selected, with all districts (56/56) included in the final analysis. The Chi-square test was used to compare DTP-1 and DTP-3 coverage during the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Results: In the two hotspot regions, 8247 children missed DTP-1, and 12,896 children did not receive DTP-3 vaccines in the pandemic period compared to the results from the pre-pandemic period. Indeed, there was a significant drop in DTP-1 and DTP-3 coverage of 0.8% (p = 0.0002) and 3.1% (p = 0.0003), respectively, in the Littoral Region. Moreover, the Centre Region reported a 5.7% (p < 0.0001) and 7.6% (p < 0.0001) drop in DTP-1 and DTP-3 coverage, respectively. Most districts in the hotspot regions reported a decline in childhood immunization access (62.5%) and utilization (71.4%). Indeed, in the Littoral Region, 46% (11/24) and 58% (14/24) of districts experienced decreased vaccination access and utilization, respectively. Meanwhile, 75% (24/32) and 81% (26/32) of districts in the Centre Region experienced a drop in vaccination access and utilization, respectively. Conclusion: This study reported a situation where the national immunization indicators mask the impact of COVID-19 on childhood immunization in heavily hit regions. Therefore, this study presents valuable information for ensuring continuous vaccination service delivery during public health emergencies. The findings could also contribute to developing an immunization recovery plan and informing policy on future pandemic preparedness and response.
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页数:10
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