Nasiru S.-G., Aliyu G.G., Gasasira A., Aliyu M.H., Zubair M., Mandawari S.U., Waziri H., Nasidi A., El-Kamary S.S.
Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria; Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States; World Health Organization (WHO) Office, Abuja, Nigeria; Department of Preventive Medicine and Institute for Globa
Nasiru, S.-G., Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria; Aliyu, G.G., Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States; Gasasira, A., World Health Organization (WHO) Office, Abuja, Nigeria; Aliyu, M.H., Department of Preventive Medicine and Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; Zubair, M., World Health Organization (WHO) Office, Abuja, Nigeria; Mandawari, S.U., World Health Organization (WHO) Office, Abuja, Nigeria; Waziri, H., World Health Organization (WHO) Office, Abuja, Nigeria; Nasidi, A., Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria; El-Kamary, S.S., Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
This paper examines the impact of a community-based intervention on the trends in the uptake of polio vaccination following a community mobilization campaign for polio eradication in northern Nigeria. Uptake of polio vaccination in high-risk communities in this region has been considerably low despite routine and supplemental vaccination activities. Large numbers of children are left unvaccinated because of community misconceptions and distrust regarding the cause of the disease and the safety of the polio vaccine. The Majigi polio campaign was initiated in 2008 as a pilot trial in Gezawa, a local council with very low uptake of polio vaccination. The average monthly increase in the number of vaccinated children over the subsequent six months after the pilot trial was 1,047 [95% confidence interval (CI): 647-2045, P50.001]. An increasing trend in uptake of polio vaccination was also evident (P50.001). The outcome was consistent with a decrease or no trend in the detection of children with zero doses. The average monthly decrease in the number of children with zero doses was 6.2 (95% CI: 221 to 24, P50.353). Overall, there was a relative increase of approximately 310% in the polio vaccination uptake and a net reduction of 29% of never vaccinated children. The findings of this pilot test show that polio vaccination uptake can be enhanced by programs like Majigi that promote effective communication with the community. © W. S. Maney & Son Ltd 2012.
poliomyelitis vaccine; article; child; controlled study; high risk population; human; Nigeria; poliomyelitis; preschool child; treatment outcome; vaccination; Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Immunization Programs; Infant; Male; Nigeria; Poliomyelitis; Poliovirus Vaccines; Vaccination