Factors associated with malaria vaccine uptake in Sunyani Municipality, Ghana
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Malaria Journal
Abstract
Background: Malaria continues to be a major disease of public health concern afecting several million people
worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) started a pilot study on a malaria vaccine (RTS,S) in Ghana and two
other countries in 2019. This study aimed at assessing the factors associated with uptake of the vaccine in the Sunyani
Municipality of Ghana.
Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study employing a quantitative approach. Stratifed sampling technique
was used to select respondents. A structured questionnaire was administered to parents/caregivers with children
eligible to have taken the frst three doses of the malaria vaccine by December 2019. The Child Welfare Clinic (CWC)
cards of the eligible children were also inspected. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was done to determine the asso ciation between the independent variables and full vaccine uptake.
Results: Uptake of RTS,S 1 was 94.1%. However, this fgure reduced to 90.6% for RTS,S 2, and 78.1% for RTS,S 3. Chil dren with a parent who had been educated up to the tertiary level had 4.72 (AOR: 4.72, 95% CI 1.27–17.55) increased
odds of full uptake as compared to those who completed secondary education. Parents whose children had expe rienced fever as an adverse reaction were more likely to send their children for the malaria vaccine as compared to
those whose children had ever sufered abscess as an adverse reaction (AOR: 2.27, 95% CI 1.13–5.10). Children with
parents who thought vaccines were becoming too many for children had 71% (AOR: 0.29, 95% CI 0.14–0.61) reduced
odds of full uptake as compared to those who thought otherwise.
Conclusion: Uptake of RTS,S 1 and RTS,S 2 in Sunyani Municipality meets the WHO’s target coverage for vaccines,
however, RTS,S 3 uptake does not. Furthermore, there is a growing perception amongst parents/caregivers that vac cines are becoming too many for children which negatively afects uptake.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Malaria, Vaccine, Uptake