Peer-reviewed article
Prevalence and patterns of adverse events following immunisation among children less than 24 months attending immunisation clinics in Kano, Nigeria
Hajara Ibrahim Maizare, Fatimah Isma’il Tsiga-Ahmed, Abubakar Mohammed Jibo, Aishatu L. Adamu, Rabiu Ibrahim Jalo et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) in children under 24 months in Kano, Nigeria, using a mixed-methods approach with 384 mother-child pairs and focus group discussions. Nearly 44% of children experienced some adverse event after vaccination, with most cases being mild. Fever was the most common reaction, particularly in infants under three months. The study recommends improved health education for caregivers and better training for immunisation providers.
Key points
- Prevalence of AEFI was 43.5% (164 out of 376 children)
- Most adverse events were mild (72.4% of cases)
- Fever was the most common AEFI reported (66.5%), especially in infants under three months
- Age of the child was the only significant predictor of AEFI
- Authors recommend caregiver health education and training of immunisation service providers
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional in a specific geographic area (Kano), so findings may not generalise to other regions of Nigeria or beyond. The document does not provide information on longer-term health outcomes or the impact of AEFI on vaccination completion rates.
Abstract
Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) contribute to child morbidity and mortality as they often lead to low uptake of vaccines with consequent persistence of vaccine-preventable diseases. It is essential to assess the prevalence of AEFIs in northern Nigeria, where misconceptions about immunisation exist. This study assessed the prevalence and pattern of AEFI among children less than 24 months after attending immunisation clinics in Kano, Nigeria. Using a mixed-methods design, adapted intervieweradministered questionnaires were assigned to a cross-section of 384 mother-baby pairs who presented to the immunisation clinics of selected primary healthcare centres (PHCs) within metropolitan Kano. This was followed by six sessions of focus group discussion with a sub-sample of the mothers. Logistic regression and the framework approach were used to analyse the data. The prevalence of AEFI was (43.5%, n=164), and most cases (72.4%, n=273) were mild. Fever was the most common type of AEFI reported (66.5%, n=109) and was higher among infants less than three months (44.5%, n=73). Age of the index child was the only significant predictor of AEFI (OR:0.18, 95% CI: 0.10-0.35). Our study shows that AEFI was common among children less than 24 months old in Kano. We recommend sensitisation and health education of caregivers using valuable communication strategies and sufficient training of immunisation service providers on professional ways to deliver these vaccines safely.