Association of Factors Affecting Measles Vaccine Coverage During Covid-19 Pandemic among the Children Aged 09-24 Months

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on public health measures, including routine childhood immunizations. Measles, a highly contagious viral infection, remains a significant public health threat, and routine vaccination against measles is critical in preventing outbreaks. Objective: To evaluate the immunization status and factors affecting measles vaccination for measles vaccine coverage during COVID-19 in children aged 09–24 month. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Settings: This study was done at department of community medicine and samples were collected from Union Council -II, District Tando Muhammad khan Sindh Pakistan. Duration: March 2020 to December 2020. Methods: All the children those who were aged 09 to 24 months, living in Tando Muhammad khan. UC-II, District Tando Muhammad Khan, parents/guardians who consent to participate in the study and those children who were defaulter of first dose of measles vaccine were included. All parents and guardians were interviewed regarding vaccination status according to the study protocol. Data were collected using a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire. The principal investigator conducted the interviews and filled out the questionnaire. However, in some instances, Lady Health Workers (LHWs) were also visited to provide assistance. Additionally, the previous year's records of measles immunization in Union Council-2 Tando Muhammad Khan were obtained from the District Health Office (DHO) in District Tando Muhammad Khan. The collected information was entered into SPSS version 22.0 for analysis. Results: The study involved 422 cases with a mean age of 13.4 months. The study found that 98.1% of the children received routine vaccinations, but only 1.95% did not visited vaccination centers during the pandemic. The main reasons for not getting the measles vaccination were fear of COVID-19 (50.5%) and lockdown (31.85%). Socioeconomic factors, such as disease (92.2%), economic crises (80.6%), and domestic issues (37.9%), also affected vaccination coverage. Even though the most parents believed that vaccination can save their child from measles (82.7%). Conclusion: The outbreak of COVID-19 has significantly impacted the vaccination rates for measles. Factors such as lockdowns, transportation issues, unreachable programs, child health-related issues, and financial crises have all contributed to a decline in measles vaccination rates. Fear of COVID-19 has led to a reluctance among some parents to bring their children to healthcare facilities for routine vaccinations.