Prevalence and reasons for missed opportunities for vaccination in a Nigerian hospital

Abstract

Background: Missed Opportunity for Vaccination (MOV) is a significant cause of low immunisation coverage and resurgence of vaccine preventable diseases. Hence, identifying the causes of MOV in our health facilities and eliminating them will help improve immunisation coverage in the area.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and reasons for MOV in children aged 0 to 23 months at the Federal Medical Centre, (FMC) Umuahia, Abia State.

Methods: Exit interviews were conducted for 300 mother/child pairs of children aged 0 to 23 months consecutively as they visited the preventive and the curative sections of FMC Umuahia.

Results: Of the 300 children recruited, 158 (52.7%) were males and 142 (47.3%) were females with a M:F ratio of 1.1:1.Thirty six (12%) of all the children had missed opportunities for vaccination. MOV rate was significantly higher among the in-patients (p= 0.02). The reasons for MOV noted were; presentation of the children on the ‘wrong’ immunisation days (72.2%), false contraindications to vaccination by the health workers (13.9%), unavailability of vaccines (8.3%) and refusal to open a new vial by the health workers (5.6%). The commonest remote reason why the children who presented on the ‘wrong’ immunisation days missed their previous immunisation appointments was because of non-availability of the mothers due to illness, parent’s travel and farm work.

Conclusion: The prevalence of MOV at FMC Umuahia is 12% and the commonest reason was that the children presented on the ‘wrong’ immunisation days. Hence, all the vaccines should be made available to every eligible child on any day of the week in order to effectively eliminate MOV.