Study of the reasons for non-vaccination in 3 neighborhoods of the Ebolowa health district

Abstract

Introduction: Vaccination is an effective measure for preventing mortality linked to certain pathologies. The aim of our study was to determine the reasons for non-vaccination of infants in 3 neighborhoods of the Ebolowa health district.

Method: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in 3 neighbourhoods of the Ebolowa district. Our study included infants aged 0-24 months present in the health district during the study period and whose mothers had given informed consent.

Results: 83 children aged to 00 to 24 months were identified. Half (50.6%) lived in rural areas. Sixty-seven point five percent of the mothers had a secondary education. The Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) was complete for 72.9% of the children, representing a dropout rate of 27.1%. The main reasons for children not being vaccinated were insufficient knowledge about vaccination (18,2%), lack of time (36.4%), and, equally, lack of financial resources and remoteness (18.1%). All children in the study had received the first dose of vaccination.

Conclusion: Despite our efforts, vaccination coverage remains incomplete, below the national threshold, and a large number of children are still not correctly vaccinated.