Delay in health‐seeking behaviour: Implication to yellow fever outcome in the 2019 outbreak in Nigeria

Abstract

Yellow fever is a vaccine-preventable acute viral disease that can rapidly spread and cause serious public health impact. Delay in seeking health care from health facilities is a potential risk of prolonged disease spread. Therefore, this study assessed the delay in health-seeking behaviour and implications for yellow fever outcomes in the 2019 outbreak in Nigeria. Furthermore, the study examined the factors associated with delayed yellow fever vaccine uptake. A retrospective study was conducted from January to December 2019 using 137 cases recorded in the WHO database. The data were analysed using descriptive (frequency and percentages) and the Chi-square test.The results were significant at p < 0.05. Results showed a low uptake of yellow fever vaccine (24.1%) among patients and a median total health-seeking delay of 7 [IQR 7, 9] days. The delay was more among the older age ≥40 years (12 [IQR 12, 29]), females (8 [IQR 8, 11], and rural inhabitants 7 [IQR7, 9], particularly in Izzi LGA (9 [IQR 9, 16] than the other subgroups. Patients' location or place of residence was significantly associated with the yellow fever vaccine uptake (p < 0.000*), and delay (p = 0.003*).Conclusively, the low vaccine uptake was due to the delay in health-seeking behaviour. Thus, the healthcare system in Nigeria needs to intensify mass participation in immunisation programmes. Interventions that promote behavioural change towards immunisation are required. Also, health promotion campaigns to educate rural people on desirable health-seeking behaviour are needed.

The spread of Yellow fever amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic in Africa and the ongoing efforts to mitigate it

“…Mohammad Mehedi Hasan 2,3 Anmol Mohan 4 Eleni Xenophontos 5 Ana Carla dos Santos Costa 6 Abdullahi T. Aborode 7 Christos Tsagkaris 8 Oumaima Outani 9…”

“…The study suggests that low vaccination rates were due to not seeking medical attention priorly. 3 As in other countries in the world, such as Brazil, [4][5][6] India, 7 and Pakistan, 8 the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak also had a negative impact on preventive measures against vector-borne infectious diseases on the African continent, causing serious delays and postponements. Nigeria already faces the consequences of lagging into YF vaccine distribution which is close to setting off an epidemic in the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak.…”