Decomposition Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequalities in Vaccination Dropout in Remote and Underserved Settings in Ethiopia.

Despite increments in immunization coverage over the past decades, substantial inequality due to wealth status has persisted in Ethiopia. This study aimed to decompose the concentration index into the contributions of individual factors to socioeconomic inequalities of childhood vaccination dropout in remote and underserved settings in Ethiopia by using a decomposition approach. A wealth index was developed by reducing 41 variables related to women's household living standards into nine factors by using principal component analysis. The components were further totaled into a composite score and divided into five quintiles (poorest, poorer, middle, richer, and richest). Vaccination dropout was calculated as the proportion of children who did not get the pentavalent-3 vaccine among those who received the pentavalent-1 vaccine. The concentration index was used to estimate socioeconomic inequalities in childhood vaccination dropout, which was then decomposed to examine the factors contributing to socioeconomic inequalities in vaccination dropout. The overall concentration index was -0.179 (P <0.01), confirming the concentration of vaccination dropout among the lowest wealth strata. The decomposition analyses showed that wealth index significantly contributed to inequalities in vaccination dropout (49.7%). Place of residence also explained -16.2% of the inequality. Skilled birth attendance and availability of a health facility in the kebele (the lowest administrative government structure) also significantly contributed (33.6% and 12.6%, respectively) to inequalities in vaccination dropout. Wealth index, place of residence, skilled birth attendance, and availability of a health facility in the kebele largely contributed to the concentration of vaccination dropout among the lowest wealth strata. Policymakers should address vaccination inequality by designing more effective strategies.

Perspectives on the Performance of the Ethiopian Vaccine Supply Chain and Logistics System after the Last Mile Delivery Initiative: A Phenomenological Study.

Uninterrupted availability of vaccines requires a robust vaccine supply chain and logistics system (VSCLS). With special focus on remote and underserved settings, we assessed the reach and bottlenecks of the Ethiopian VSCLS after the initiation of the last mile transition. We explored the perspectives of key stakeholders using a qualitative phenomenological study. More than 300 in-depth interviews and 22 focus group discussions were conducted. The study was sequentially implemented over two phases to understand the bottlenecks at national and regional (Phase I) and lower (Phase II) levels. After the transition, the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Service started supplying vaccines directly to health facilities, bypassing intermediaries. The transition reduced supply hiccups and enabled the health sector to focus on its core activities. However, in remote areas, achievements were modest, and health facilities have been receiving supplies indirectly through district health offices. By design, health posts collect vaccines from health centers, causing demotivation of health extension workers and frequent closure of health posts. Challenges of the VSCLS include artificial shortage due to ill forecasting and failure to request needs on time, lack of functional refrigerators secondary to scarcity of skilled technicians and spare parts, and absence of dependable backup power at health centers. Vaccine wastages owing to poor forecasts, negligence, and cold chain problems are common. The VSCLS has not yet sustainably embraced digital logistics solutions. The system is overstrained by frequent outbreak responses and introduction of new vaccines. We concluded that the transition has improved the VSCLS, but the reach remains suboptimal in remote areas.

Low Measles Vaccination Coverage and Spatial Analysis of High Measles Vaccination Dropout in Ethiopia's Underprivileged Areas.

(1) Background: Measles remains a major cause of disease and death worldwide, especially in the World Health Organization African Region. This study aimed to estimate the coverage of measles vaccinations and map the spatial distribution of measles vaccination dropout in Ethiopia; (2) Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Ethiopia's underprivileged areas. The study included 3646 mothers/caregivers of children. ArcGIS for the spatial analysis, Global Moran's I statistic for spatial autocorrelation, and Getis-Ord Gi* statistics for hot spot analysis were applied; (3) Results: Overall, coverages of measles-containing-vaccine first- and second-doses were 67% and 35%, respectively. Developing regions had the lowest coverages of measles-containing-vaccine first- and second-doses, 46.4% and 21.2%, respectively. On average, the measles vaccination dropout estimate was 48.3%. Refugees had the highest measles vaccination dropout estimate (56.4%). The hot spot analysis detected the highest burden of measles vaccination dropout mainly in the northeastern parts of Ethiopia, such as the Afar Region's zones 1 and 5, the Amhara Region's North Gondar Zone, and peripheral areas in the Benishangul Gumuz Region's Assosa Zone; (4) Conclusions: The overall measles vaccination coverages were relatively low, and measles vaccination dropout estimates were high. Measles vaccination dropout hot spot areas were detected in the northeastern parts of Ethiopia.

Vaccination dropout and wealth related inequality among children aged 12-35 months in remote and underserved settings of Ethiopia: a cross-sectional evaluation survey.

Background: Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions that prevents millions of deaths. Although immunization coverage is increasing globally, many children in low- and middle-income countries drop out of the vaccination continuum. This study aimed at determining vaccination dropout rates and predictors in children aged 12-35 months in remote and underserved areas of Ethiopia. Methods: This study was part of a cross-sectional evaluation survey that was conducted in 2022 in Ethiopia. The study settings include pastoralist, developing & newly established regions, conflict affected areas, urban slums, internally displaced populations and refugees. A sample of 3,646 children aged 12-35 months were selected using a cluster sampling approach. Vaccination dropout was estimated as the proportion of children who did not get the subsequent vaccine among those who received the first vaccine. A generalized estimating equation was used to assess determinants of the dropout rate and findings were presented using an adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Concentration curve and index were used to estimate wealth related inequality of vaccination dropout. Results: A total of 3,646 caregivers of children participated in the study with a response rate of 97.7%. The BCG to Penta-3 (52.5%), BCG to MCV-2 (57.4%), and Penta-1 to Penta-3 (43.9%) dropouts were all high. The highest Penta-1 to Penta-3 dropout rate was found in developing regions (60.1%) and the lowest was in urban slums (11.2%). Caregivers who were working outside their homes [AOR (95% CI) = 3.67 (1.24-10.86)], who had no postnatal care follow-up visits [AOR (95%CI) = 1.66 (1.15-2.39)], who did not receive a service from a skilled birth attendant [AOR (95%CI) = 1.64 (1.21-2.27)], who were older than 45 years [AOR (95% CI) = 12.49 (3.87-40.33)], and who were less gender empowered [AOR (95%CI) = 1.63 (1.24-2.15)] had increased odds of Penta-1 to Penta-3 dropout. The odds of dropout for children from poor caregivers was nearly two times higher compared to their wealthy counterparts [AOR (95%CI) = 1.87 (1.38-2.52)]. Conclusion: Vaccination dropout estimates were high among children residing in remote and underserved settings. Poor wealth quintile, advanced maternal age, low women empowerment, and limited utilization of maternity care services contributed to vaccination dropout.

Oral and Inactivated Polio Vaccine Coverage and Determinants of Coverage Inequality Among the Most At-Risk Populations in Ethiopia.

Combining oral (OPV) and inactivated (IPV) poliovirus vaccines prevents importation of poliovirus and emergence of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus. We measured the coverage with IPV and third dose of OPV (OPV-3) and identified determinants of coverage inequality in the most at-risk populations in Ethiopia. A national survey representing 10 partly overlapping underserved populations-pastoralists, conflict-affected areas, urban slums, hard-to-reach settings, developing regions, newly formed regions, internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees, and districts neighboring international and interregional boundaries-was conducted among children 12 to 35 months old (N = 3,646). Socioeconomic inequality was measured using the concentration index (CIX) and decomposed using a regression-based approach. One-third (95% CI: 31.5-34.0%) of the children received OPV-3 and IPV. The dual coverage was below 50% in developing regions (19.2%), pastoralists (22.0%), IDPs (22.3%), districts neighboring international (24.1%) and interregional (33.3%) boundaries, refugees (27.0%), conflict-affected areas (29.3%), newly formed regions (33.5%), and hard-to-reach areas (38.9%). Conversely, coverage was better in urban slums (78%). Children from poorest households, living in villages that do not have health posts, and having limited health facility access had increased odds of not receiving the vaccines. Low paternal education, dissatisfaction with vaccination service, fear of vaccine side effects, living in female-headed households, having employed and less empowered mothers were also risk factors. IPV-OPV3 coverage favored the rich (CIX = -0.161, P < 0.001), and causes of inequality were: inaccessibility of health facilities (13.3%), dissatisfaction with vaccination service (12.8%), and maternal (4.9%) and paternal (4.9%) illiteracy. Polio vaccination coverage in the most at-risk populations in Ethiopia is suboptimal, threatening the polio eradication initiative.

Poor Adherence to the Integrated Community Case Management of Newborn and Child Illness Protocol in Rural Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has adopted the Integrated Community Case Management of Newborn and Child Illness (iCMNCI) strategy to expand access to neonatal and child health services. This study assessed compliance with the iCMNCI case management protocol at the primary care settings. A descriptive cross-sectional assessment was conducted in eight districts of Benishangul-Gumuz Region from April to December 2019, and 1,217 sick children aged 2 to 59 months and 43 sick young infants aged 0 to 2 months who sought clinical consultation at the 236 health posts were selected purposively. Trained supervisors reviewed the medical records of two most recent cases from each illness category to quantify the extent to which health workers correctly assessed, classified, treated, and followed up cases per the iCMNCI guidelines. A total of 32,981 children sought clinical consultation of whom 31,830 (96.5%) were aged 2 to 59 months, and 1,151 (3.5%) were young infants aged 0 to 2 months. Of the 1,217 selected children, 426 (35%) had pneumonia, 287 (23.6%) malaria, 501 (41.2%) diarrhea, and 3 (0.2%) had malnutrition. Nearly two-thirds 306 (72%) of pneumonia cases were correctly classified as having had the disease and 297 (70%) were correctly treated for pneumonia; 213 (74%) were correctly classified as having had malaria and 210 (73%) were correctly treated for malaria; and 393 (78%) were correctly classified as having had diarrhea and 297 (59%) were correctly treated for diarrhea. Generally, the current practices of child illness assessment, classification, and treatment have deviated from iCMNCI guidelines. Future interventions should support frontline health workers to comply strictly with case management protocols through training, mentorship, and supervision.