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Alexandra township--is immunisation adequate?
Insights
Immunisation coverage in Alexandra township was 66%, with lower rates for babies whose mothers did not attend antenatal clinics or lived outside the area. These factors significantly impact childhood immunisation success.
Area of Science:
- Child Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Low immunisation coverage remains a significant public health challenge in many communities.
- Understanding factors influencing vaccine uptake is crucial for targeted interventions.
- Alexandra township presents a specific context for assessing childhood immunisation rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess immunisation coverage for diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DPT) and poliomyelitis vaccines in Alexandra township.
- To identify factors predictive of non-immunisation among infants in the study area.
- To provide recommendations for improving childhood immunisation rates.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 348 infants born in March-April 1986 through the Alexandra clinic system was followed for 4-5 months.
- Immunisation status for the first DPT and polio doses was recorded.
- Statistical analysis was performed to identify factors associated with non-immunisation.
Main Results:
- Overall immunisation coverage for the first DPT and polio doses was 66% (228 out of 348 eligible infants).
- Factors associated with significantly lower immunisation coverage included mothers not attending antenatal clinics and infants living outside Alexandra.
- Infant sex, maternal age, previous sibling death, maternal parity, and paternal support were not significantly associated with immunisation coverage.
Conclusions:
- Antenatal clinic attendance and residence within Alexandra are key predictors of higher infant immunisation coverage.
- Targeted strategies addressing barriers for mothers not attending antenatal care and for families residing outside the immediate clinic area are needed.
- Improving immunisation coverage requires a multifaceted approach addressing socioeconomic and access-related factors.
Abstract:
In this study we assessed immunisation coverage and identified some of the factors that are predictive of non-immunisation in Alexandra township. A cohort of 348 babies delivered through the Alexandra clinic system in March and April 1986 were followed up for 4-5 months to see whether they returned for the first DPT and poliomyelitis immunisation. Two hundred and twenty-eight of the eligible babies (66%) received the first DPT and polio immunisation. Of the 120 who were not immunised, 54 (16% of the total) were not traced, 46 (13%) were transferred to another area and 20 (6%) were traced defaulters. Babies born to mothers who had not attended antenatal clinics and who lived outside Alexandra had children with significantly lower immunisation coverage than those born to other mothers. the sex of the baby, maternal age, previous sibling death, maternal parity and paternal support were not associated with any difference in immunisation coverage. In this paper some of the reasons for the low immunisation coverage are discussed and suggestions as to how this can be improved are given.