Assessing parents’ knowledge and attitudes towards seasonal influenza vaccination of children before and after a seasonal influenza vaccination effectiveness study in low-income urban and rural Kenya, 2010–2011

Abstract

BackgroundInfluenza vaccine is rarely used in Kenya, and little is known about attitudes towards the vaccine. From June-September 2010, free seasonal influenza vaccine was offered to children between 6 months and 10 years old in two Population-Based Infectious Disease Surveillance (PBIDS) sites. This survey assessed attitudes about influenza, uptake of the vaccine and experiences with childhood influenza vaccination.MethodsWe administered a questionnaire and held focus group discussions with parents of children of enrollment age in the two sites before and after first year of the vaccine campaign. For pre-vaccination focus group discussions, we randomly selected mothers and fathers who had an eligible child from the PBIDS database to participate. For the post-vaccination focus group discussions we stratified parents whose children were eligible for vaccination into fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups.ResultsOverall, 5284 and 5755 people completed pre and post-vaccination questionnaires, respectively, in Kibera and Lwak. From pre-vaccination questionnaire results, among parents who were planning on vaccinating their children, 2219 (77.6%) in Kibera and 1780 (89.6%) in Lwak said the main reason was to protect the children from seasonal influenza. In the pre-vaccination discussions, no parent had heard of the seasonal influenza vaccine. At the end of the vaccine campaign, of 18,652 eligible children, 5,817 (31.2%) were fully vaccinated, 2,073 (11.1%) were partially vaccinated and, 10,762 (57.7%) were not vaccinated. In focus group discussions, parents who declined vaccine were concerned about vaccine safety or believed seasonal influenza illness was not severe enough to warrant vaccination. Parents who declined the vaccine were mainly too busy [251(25%) in Kibera and 95 (10.5%) in Lwak], or their child was away during the vaccination period [199(19.8%) in Kibera; 94(10.4%) in Lwak].ConclusionIf influenza vaccine were to be introduced more broadly in Kenya, effective health messaging will be needed on vaccine side effects and frequency and potential severity of influenza infection.

Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection and Nutritional Status Among Urban Slum Children in Kenya

“…The study was conducted in Kibera in southern Nairobi, Kenya, which is one of the largest contiguous urban slums in Africa. 10 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's International Emerging Infections Program (IEIP), in collaboration with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), has conducted communitybased morbidity surveillance in Kibera since 2005.…”

“…Field workers make home visits every 2 weeks to ask about recent illnesses; they also maintain an up-to-date registry by enrolling new arrivals and updating records to reflect outmigration. 10,11 Kibera is characterized by high population density, semipermanent housing, and lack of official city water or sewage services. Participants can access free healthcare at a centrally located clinic staffed by study-supported trained personnel and other clinics run by non-governmental organizations and government institutions bordering the slum.…”

Uptake and Effectiveness of a Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in Children in Urban and Rural Kenya, 2010 to 2012

“…Despite the fact that none of the residents of the 2 communities had heard of influenza vaccine before it was introduced in 2010, 9 residents sought out the vaccine in increasing numbers over the 3-year campaign. The rates of vaccine coverage in these 2 Kenyan communities were higher than the reported influenza vaccine coverage rates among children 6 months to 8 years in the United States (an age group where annual influenza 23 The vaccine in Kenya was free, which Kibera and Lwak residents said contributed to their decision to get the vaccine.…”

“…The rates of vaccine coverage in these 2 Kenyan communities were higher than the reported influenza vaccine coverage rates among children 6 months to 8 years in the United States (an age group where annual influenza 23 The vaccine in Kenya was free, which Kibera and Lwak residents said contributed to their decision to get the vaccine. 9 In Kenya, the widespread familiarity with routine childhood vaccination may have made parents more likely to seek out the influenza vaccine for their children; routine national vaccination programs and one-off campaigns for polio and measles are heavily promoted throughout the country, and in Kenya in 2011, coverage for most routine childhood vaccinations was >85%. 24…”

“…A recent study found that Kenyans were aware of the seasonal influenza, although they were not aware of seasonal influenza vaccine. 9 In 2010, nearly two-thirds of healthcare workers in 5 hospitals in Kenya chose to get a free pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine. 10 To assess the acceptability and effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine in Kenya, the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Centers for Disease ControlKenya (KEMRI/CDC-K), together with the Kenyan Ministry of Health, offered free influenza vaccine to children 6 months to 10 years old in a low-income rural and urban population in Kenya during 3 consecutive years, 2010 to 2012.…”