ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the status of hepatitis B and BCG vaccination in children with special health status, and analyze the reasons for the delay of vaccination, so as to improve the timely vaccination rate. Methods A total of 1 129 children with special health status who were registered and vaccinated in our hospital from September 1, 2018 to January 23, 2020 were selected. All children were classified according to the major diseases based on the discharge records. The first injection time of hepatitis B and BCG vaccine was extracted, and the children were divided into different groups based on the number of people who delayed vaccination. The comparison between groups was performed by χ2 test. Results A total of 87 children without hepatitis B vaccination and 85 children without BCG vaccination were immediately vaccinated in our hospital after the establishment of the archives in our hospital. None of the 1 129 children with special health status had serious adverse reactions after vaccination. The most common diseases in the delayed hepatitis B vaccination children were premature infants, cardiovascular diseases, and nervous system diseases. The most common diseases in the delayed BCG vaccination children were premature infants, cardiovascular diseases, and neonatal disease. There was a significant difference between the number of delayed hepatitis B vaccination and the number of delayed BCG vaccination, with the number of delayed BCG vaccination being more (χ2=278.24, P<0.00). Conclusion Delayed vaccinations are common in children with special health status. Normal vaccination does not increase the incidence of adverse reactions in children with special health status. Medical staff’s understanding of diseases, types of diseases, and types of vaccines are important factors affecting the vaccination of children with special health conditions. Support from social environment, the understanding and cooperation from children's parents and guardians, and the understanding of medical workers on vaccines and diseases are the keys to truly improve the vaccination rate of children..
ABSTRACT
Background: Immunization is the cost-effective public health intervention that prevents and protects against vaccine preventable diseases. The objective was to estimate the timeliness in receiving age appropriate vaccines and to study selected factors influencing the timeliness of age appropriate vaccines as per national immunization schedule among children aged 0 to 23 months in a rural area of Pondicherry. Methods: A retrospective study was done at a Community Health Centre, Karikalampakkam, Pondicherry using data from immunization registers of children aged 0 to 23 months, who were born between July 01, 2013 to July 31, 2015. If the child was vaccinated within 7 days of the scheduled time, it was considered as timely vaccination. Results: Out of 679 children, 52% were males and 48% were females. The median days of delay in vaccination were ranged from 1-171 days. The proportion and the median days of delay were increased progressively as the age of the child increased. The place of delivery was significantly associated with birth doses of OPV, Hepatitis B and BCG vaccination. There was a significant difference in timeliness of vaccination across the birth order of the children for the first, second and third doses of OPV and Pentavalent vaccines (p=0.02). Birth weight of the children was not statistically associated with vaccination delay. Conclusions: Delay in vaccination in varying frequency was observed for the vaccines administered under the national immunisation schedule. Hence, the age-appropriate vaccinations should be given up-to-date as well as on time.