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. 2018 Dec 13;18(Suppl 4):1312.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-6194-y.

Conduct of vaccination in hard-to-reach areas to address potential polio reservoir areas, 2014-2015

Samuel Bawa  1 , Faisal Shuaib  2 , Mahmoud Saidu  3 , Adamu Ningi  3 , Suleiman Abdullahi  3 , Bashir Abba  3 , Audu Idowu  3 , Jibrin Alkasim  3 , Kulchumi Hammanyero  3 , Charity Warigon  3 , Sisay G Tegegne  3 , Richard Banda  3 , Charles Korir  3 , Yared G Yehualashet  3 , Tesfaye Bedada  3 , Chukwuji Martin  3 , Peter Nsubuga  4 , Usman S Adamu  5 , Bassey Okposen  2 , Fiona Braka  3 , Alemu Wondimagegnehu  3 , Rui G Vaz  3
Affiliations

Conduct of vaccination in hard-to-reach areas to address potential polio reservoir areas, 2014-2015

Samuel Bawa et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) seeks to achieve the total realization of its vision through equitable access to immunization as well as utilizing the immunization systems for delivery of other primary healthcare programs. The inequities in accessing hard-to-reach areas have very serious implications for the prevention and control of vaccine-preventable diseases, especially the polio eradication initiative. The Government of Nigeria implemented vaccination in hard-to-reach communities with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) to address the issues of health inequities in the hard-to-reach communities. This paper documents the process of conducting integrated mobile vaccination in these hard-to-reach areas and the impact on immunization outcomes.

Methods: We conducted vaccination using mobile health teams in 2311 hard-to-reach settlements in four states at risk of sustaining polio transmission in Nigeria from July 2014 to September 2015.

Results: The oral polio vaccine (OPV)3 coverage among children under 1 year of age improved from 23% at baseline to 61% and OPV coverage among children aged 1-5 years increased from 60 to 90%, while pentavalent vaccine (penta3) coverage increased from 22 to 55%. Vitamin A was administered to 78% of the target population and 9% of children that attended the session were provided with treatment for malaria.

Conclusions: The hard-to-reach project has improved population immunity against polio, as well as other routine vaccinations and delivery of child health survival interventions in the hard-to-reach and underserved communities.

Keywords: Hard-to-reach; Low population immunity for polio; Vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The consultation of an ethics committee and consent to participate is not required for analyses based solely on secondary data.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of Nigeria showing the hard-to-reach project states and wards, 2014–2015
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Trend of percentage OPV coverage in children under 5 years of age in hard-to-reach settlements, 2014–2015
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Trend of vitamin A, deworming, and those treated for malaria among children under 5 years of age in hard-to-reach settlements, 2014–2015
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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