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[Analysis of actual coverage of the immunization program in Niigata Prefecture and development of a simple estimation
Insights
Measles immunization coverage in Niigata Prefecture is higher than official records suggest. Promoting vaccination before age two and improving healthcare provider communication are recommended for better public health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Public health surveillance
- Immunization programs
Context:
- Official measles immunization coverage data may not accurately reflect the real-world situation.
- Understanding vaccination gaps is crucial for effective public health strategies.
Purpose:
- To investigate measles immunization coverage and the actual immunization status in Niigata Prefecture.
- To compare survey data with official records and identify discrepancies.
Summary:
- A survey in Niigata Prefecture revealed approximately 90% measles immunization coverage, contrasting with official reports of around 70%.
- The primary reason for non-immunization was measles infection before vaccination (30.4%), often occurring by age two.
- Public announcements were the main information source, with limited input from healthcare professionals.
Impact:
- Recommends revising coverage surveys to include interviews and maternity records at three-year-old health check-ups for better accuracy.
- Highlights the need to promote measles vaccination before age two to prevent infections.
- Emphasizes the importance of increased involvement of doctors and paramedical staff in immunization education.
Objective:
We investigated measles immunization coverage and the actual situation of immunization in Niigata Pref.
Method:
We distributed questionnaires to all parents of pediatric outpatients who went to hospitals and clinics in Niigata Pref. from January 20 to 31. In the questionnaire, we asked parents about the measles immunization status of not only patients but also their sisters and brothers in each household, reasons for their immunization failure, and sources of information on immunization. We were able to collect 4,840 questionnaires from the parents who lived in Niigata Pref. and analyzable data obtained from 9,783 children. Furthermore we compared these with data from official annual reports of public health centers in Niigata Pref.
Result:
Our survey showed that around 90% of the children who had been born since 1979 to 1993 had received measles vaccine, while the official annual reports indicated low immunization coverage (around 70%). The age at which children received measles vaccine was one year old (38.2% of the vaccinated) and two years old (37.5%), and finally 93.6% of children were immunized by three years old. The primary reason for failure to receive immunization was that he or she was infected with measles before immunization (30.4%). Around 53% of these were infected with measles by 2 years old. With regard to sources of information on immunization, public announcements and letters were the greatest sources, whereas the contribution of doctors and paramedical staffs which was expected to be the main providers of the information to parents was quite low.
Conclusions:
1) It was shown that there was a difference of measles immunization coverage between our results (90%) and the official record (70%), indicating that the current coverage survey method does not reflect the actual situation of immunization. Since more than 90% of children were immunized by three years old, we recommend that measles immunization coverage should be surveyed through interviews and data in maternity record book at the health examination for three year-old children which is operated by the government and has good attendance. 2) More than 50% of children who were infected with measles before immunization were infected by two years old, suggesting further promotion of measles immunization before two years old. 3) The main source of information on immunization was public announcements and publications. Further participation of doctors and paramedical staffs in disseminating information and providing education activities is desired.