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Vaccinated versus unvaccinated children: how they fare in first five years of life
1Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Nigeria.
Insights
Childhood immunizations significantly protect against severe diseases like measles and tetanus. Vaccinated children experienced milder illnesses, while unvaccinated children faced higher risks, including fatalities.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood immunization is crucial for preventing infectious diseases.
- Vaccination coverage varies, impacting community health outcomes.
- The Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI) in Nigeria aims to increase vaccination rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases in vaccinated versus unvaccinated children.
- To highlight the protective effects of childhood immunization schedules.
- To advocate for universal community participation in Nigeria's EPI.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 50 children over five years.
- Group 1: 25 children completed the full childhood immunization schedule.
- Group 2: 25 children remained unvaccinated. Disease incidence (measles, pertussis, poliomyelitis, tetanus, tuberculosis) was monitored.
Main Results:
- Only one vaccinated child experienced mild measles; four had suspected pertussis.
- Unvaccinated children: 2 deaths from measles, 11 measles cases during an outbreak, and 1 death from tetanus.
- Significant disease burden observed in the unvaccinated cohort.
Conclusions:
- Childhood immunizations provide substantial protection against severe morbidity and mortality.
- The study underscores the critical importance of adhering to immunization schedules.
- Full community integration into Nigeria's EPI is essential to reduce disease prevalence.
Abstract:
Twenty five children who had undergone their full course of childhood immunization schedule were compared with 25 children who did not have any vaccinations for a period of five years. Parameters for comparison were measles, pertussis, poliomyelitis, tetanus and tuberculosis. Out of the 25 vaccinated children, only one child had mild measles at 2 1/2 years while 4 had suspected whooping cough at different points of the study period but not clinically diagnosed as pertussis. Among the unvaccinated group, 2 died of measles before the age of 3 years while 11 others went down with measles during an outbreak in 1986. An unvaccinated child also died of tetanus within the study period. In this paper we advocate the total integration of every community in the ongoing Expanded Programme for Immunization in Nigeria.