Vaccination Coverage Among Children With Measles At Agok Hospital, South Sudan

Abstract

Background Globally, cases of measles resurgence have been reported in recent years. The majority of the cases have been reported in Africa and in the Indian subcontinent and are associated with low measles vaccination coverage. In South Sudan, measles outbreaks with mortalities have been reported across different states. Despite static, outreach and intensified campaigns, measles cases remain high in South Sudan Objective The main objective of this study was to determine the proportion, characteristics and transmission patterns of patients aged 15 years and below who had received a measles-containing vaccine and were diagnosed with measles at Agok Hospital, Abyei region, South Sudan Methodology The study was cross-sectional and utilized secondary measles data from case finding surveillance reports in Agok Hospital. The population of interest was children under the age of 15 years diagnosed with measles from 2015 to 2018. The sociodemographic and clinical data was collected and analyzed by use of STATA version 13. Lastly the study sought to determine the measles vaccine effectiveness within the study area. Findings Among the 385 measles patients studied, 36.6% (140) had received a measles vaccine. The calculation presented a vaccine effectiveness of 43% contrary to the expected 85% after the initial vaccine administration. The measles patients presented with cough (97.1%), maculopapular rash (95.3%) and conjunctivitis (91.2%). Measles transmission in Agok was higher in children attending schools and living in the cattle camps during the dry season. Conclusion The children who got infected with measles and had not received the vaccine were more likely to have been admitted or died. The results highlight the need to increase vaccination coverage.