Peer-reviewed article
Hepatitis B Vaccination in Senegalese Children: Coverage, Timeliness, and Sociodemographic Determinants of Non-Adherence to Immunisation Schedules (ANRS 12356 AmBASS Survey)
Lauren Périères, Fabienne Marcellin, Gora Lô, Camélia Protopopescu, El Hadj Bâ et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined hepatitis B vaccination coverage and timeliness in Senegalese children born in 2016-2018, when birth dose vaccination was newly introduced. Only about one-third of 2016-born children received the vaccine within 24 hours of birth, improving to two-thirds by 2017-2018. Home birth, dry season birth, distance from healthcare facilities, being firstborn, and living in poorer households were associated with delayed or missed vaccinations.
Key points
- 31% of children born in 2016 received hepatitis B birth dose within 24 hours; this improved to 66.8% for 2017-2018 births
- Only 24.3% of 2016-born children completed the three-dose schedule on time, compared to 53.7% of 2017-2018 births
- Home birth was associated with non-adherence to both birth dose and three-dose schedules
- Living over three kilometres from the nearest healthcare post reduced timely completion of the three-dose schedule
- Dry season birth and being firstborn were risk factors for non-adherence to vaccination schedules
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional and cannot establish causality. It is limited to one region (Niakhar) in Senegal, so findings may not generalise to other areas or countries.
Abstract
Detailed knowledge about hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination coverage and timeliness for sub-Saharan Africa is scarce. We used data from a community-based cross-sectional survey conducted in 2018-2019 in the area of Niakhar, Senegal, to estimate coverage, timeliness, and factors associated with non-adherence to the World Health Organisation-recommended vaccination schedules in children born in 2016 (year of the birth dose (BD) introduction in Senegal) and 2017-2018. Vaccination status was assessed from vaccination cards, surveillance data, and healthcare post vaccination records. Among 241 children with available data, for 2016 and 2017-2018, respectively, 31.0% and 66.8% received the BD within 24 h of birth (BD schedule), and 24.3% and 53.7% received the BD plus at least two pentavalent vaccine doses within the recommended timeframes (three-dose schedule). In logistic regression models, home birth, dry season birth, and birth in 2016 were all associated with non-adherence to the recommended BD and three-dose schedules. Living over three kilometres from the nearest healthcare post, being the firstborn, and living in an agriculturally poorer household were only associated with non-adherence to the three-dose schedule. The substantial proportion of children not vaccinated according to recommended schedules highlights the importance of considering vaccination timeliness when evaluating vaccination programme effectiveness. Outreach vaccination activities and incentives to bring children born at home to healthcare facilities within 24 h of birth, must be strengthened to improve timely HBV vaccination.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Community-based cross-sectional survey to assess hepatitis B vaccination coverage, timeliness, and determinants of non-adherence to WHO-recommended immunisation schedules
- Population
- Children born in 2016 (year of birth dose introduction) and 2017-2018 in Niakhar, Senegal (241 children with available data)
Key finding
31.0% of 2016-born children received birth dose within 24 hours; 66.8% of 2017-2018 births received it on time, showing improvement over time