Parental Awareness and Coverage of Mass Measles Vaccination Drive 2011: Cross-Sectional Survey in the Metropolitan City of Karachi, Pakistan

This study evaluated coverage of mass measles campaign 2011 and estimated parental awareness and determinants for low/no coverage. Household survey was conducted 4 months after the measles campaign in Karachi, Pakistan. Parents of children younger than 5 years were administered structured questionnaire about their knowledge and participation in measles campaign. Of 1020 eligible households, only 282 (28%) parents knew about measles supplementary immunization activity, mainly from public announcements (49%). Of these, 174 (62%) children received measles vaccine, whereas, 108 (38%) parents refused measles vaccine. Overall, only 17% children received measles vaccine during this campaign. Low maternal education, not having received DPT/Pentavalent-3 vaccine, and routine vaccination from public Expanded Program on Immunization facility were significant determinants for low coverage. Measles vaccine coverage in Karachi remains low, and sporadic outbreaks of measles every 2 to 3 years are expected unless population coverage can be rapidly increased.
Source: Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: E-articles Source Type: research