Factors influencing uptake of measles booster vaccine among under-five children at selected clinics in Lusaka,Zambia

Abstract

Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available. In 2014, there were 114,900 measles deaths globally which is about 314 deaths every day or 13 deaths every hour. In Zambia, vaccination coverage among children aged 12 to 23 months has not changed from 72% since 2007. There is a clear decline in the measles booster uptake which is a serious public health concern posing a risk of measles outbreaks in the communities. The main objective of the study was to determine factors that influence uptake of measles booster vaccine among under five children in Lusaka district. This study was a cross sectional study conducted in Lusaka urban district. Simple random sampling method was used to select 383 respondents who participated in the study. Following ethical approval from University of Zambia Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (UNZABREC), data were collected from caretakers with children aged between 18 months and 59 months using a semi structured interview schedules. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Chi-square test was used to test for associations between the dependent and independent variables with a confidence interval set at 95%, and significant level of 0.05. Logistic regression analysis was also performed. The findings showed a low uptake of vaccines (70%). Most respondents (75.5%) had medium knowledge levels and 69.7% had negative attitudes towards uptake of vaccines. There was an association found between the uptake of vaccines and the respondents’ level of education (p value < 0.001), and between uptake of vaccine and service quality (p value < 0.001). The uptake of the MBV in Lusaka District is low. This is attributed to inadequate knowledge on the importance of MBV among mothers and caretakers, negative attitude of caretakers towards immunisation MBV. The study also revealed that there was an association between uptake of MBV and the education level of mothers/caretakers. In addition the uptake of MBV was significantly associated with the quality of service. It is therefore important to conduct similar studies in other settings to enable us generalise the findings and also it would be important to conduct qualitative studies on mothers/caretakers with a good uptake of MBV to assist in establishing the motivating factors that helped them adopt a positive attitude towards immunisations and MBV. Keywords: Booster vaccine, Factors, Measles, Under-five children, Uptake.