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Immunisation in a curative setting
P E Kofoed1, B Nielsen, A K Rahman
1International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Insights
Vaccination uptake was studied in women and children at a diarrheal treatment center. High vaccination rates were observed in children (84.2%), but lower rates in women (40.4%), indicating potential for improved public health services.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Vaccinology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Curative health facilities can serve as crucial points for public health interventions.
- Assessing vaccination uptake in diverse patient populations is essential for targeted health strategies.
- Diarrheal treatment centers offer a unique opportunity to reach underserved women and children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of offering vaccinations to women and children attending a curative health facility.
- To determine the uptake rates of immunizations among an unimmunized population within a specific healthcare setting.
- To identify missed opportunities for vaccination in a vulnerable demographic.
Main Methods:
- A prospective survey was conducted over eight months at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- The study targeted unimmunized women (aged 15-45) and children attending the center as patients or attendants.
- Vaccination uptake was calculated as the percentage of the eligible population accepting immunization.
Main Results:
- 84.2% of eligible children and 40.4% of eligible women received vaccinations.
- Children aged under 1 year constituted the majority of vaccinated children (75.9%).
- Significant missed opportunities for vaccination were noted: 8.0% for children and 59.6% for women.
Conclusions:
- Immunization services can be successfully integrated into health facilities that primarily treat acutely ill patients.
- The findings highlight the potential for curative care settings to enhance public health by increasing vaccination coverage.
- Targeted strategies are needed to improve vaccination uptake among women attending such facilities.
Objective:
To study the uptake of vaccination offered to women and children attending a curative health facility.
Design:
Prospective survey over eight months of the uptake of vaccination offered to unimmunised women and children attending a diarrhoeal treatment centre as patients or attendants.
Setting:
The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Subjects:
An estimated 19,349 unimmunised women aged 15 to 45 and 17,372 children attending the centre for treatment or accompanying patients between 1 January and 31 August 1989.
Main Outcome Measures:
The number of women and children who were unimmunised or incompletely immunised was calculated and the percentage of this target population accepting vaccination was recorded.
Results:
7530 (84.2%) Of 8944 eligible children and 7730 (40.4%) of 19,138 eligible women were vaccinated. Of the children, 63.8% were boys, 75.9% were aged under 1 year, and 23.0% were aged 1 to 2 years. The estimated number of missed opportunities for vaccination was 716 among the children (8.0% of the target population) and 11,408 among the women (59.6% of those eligible).
Conclusion:
It is possible to establish immunisation services at a health facility treating acutely ill patients.