Determinants of demand for subsequent doses of pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines for children less than five years of age in Ghana

Abstract

The mortality of children which has pneumonia and diarrhoea as some of its major causes remains a major concern for all countries of which Ghana is no exception. Ghana's current child mortality rate is far above the sustainable development goal 3.2. However, given that vaccination is one of the most effective ways of preventing childhood diseases, it was surprising that, the 2014 Ghana demographic and health survey (GDHS) report showed a falling up-take or coverage in the successive doses of the pneumococcal (pneumonia vaccine) and rotavirus (diarrhoea vaccine) vaccines among children in Ghana. This study therefore using data from the children's recode file of the 2014 GDHS, investigated the determinants of demand for subsequent doses of the pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines for children in Ghana by employing the binary probit model. The study among other findings revealed that, unemployed mothers were less likely to demand for the subsequent and initial doses of both the pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines for their children. Also male household heads were revealed to be less likely to demand for all the doses of the rotavirus vaccines for children. In addition, single mothers were also revealed to be less likely to demand for all the subsequent doses of the pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines. Therefore targeting unemployed and single mothers as well as women empowerment through job opportunities coupled with public education, especially of household heads, would serve as effective tools in tackling the falling demand for subsequent doses of the pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines for children in Ghana.

What Factors Influence the Up-Take of Tuberculosis Vaccine for Children in Ghana?

“…Similar findings were revealed by Immurana and Urma [10] and Immurana and Urma [11] who found employed mothers to be more probable to demand for both the Pneumococcal and Rotavirus vaccines and both the Measles and Yellow fever vaccines for children in Ghana respectively. This is because employed mothers are better empowered to afford indirect costs of vaccine utilisation such as transportation cost and therefore would be more probable to utilise it for their children relative to unemployed mothers.…”

“…The result on the Brong Ahafo region is similar to the findings of Immurana and Urma [10] with regard to demand for Pneumococcal vaccine for children in Ghana. Also similar result in the case of the Eastern region was found by Immurana and Urma [11] on the less likelihood of children in the Western region of Ghana to have been given both the Yellow fever and Measles 1 vaccine.…”

“…In Ghana, Immurana and Urma [10], Immurana and Urma [11], Dwumoh et al [12], Matthews and Diamond [13], Bosu et al [14], McGlynn [15], and Duah-Owusu [16] have also conducted studies on factors that influence immunization utilisation.…”

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

“…Moreover the recorded cases of yellow fever were more amongst children under-5 years (23.4%), residents in Izzi LGA (49.6%), rural residents (97.8%), and males (54.0%). The finding is consistent with previous studies (Immurana & Urma, 2016a, 2016bWamala et al, 2012), which indicated that the case number of YF was higher in under-5 children, males, and rural regions. The recorded high cases of YF among under-5 children are probably because this age category is characterised by a weak immunity to infectious diseases and a lack of naturally acquired immunity to YF.…”

Demand for measles and yellow fever vaccines for children in Ghana: are socio-economic, demographic and Geographic factors relevant?

“…On the empirical front specifically on Ghana, Matthews and Diamond (1997), Bosu et al (1997), Dwumoh et al (2014), DuahOwusu (n.d.), McGlynn (2012) and Immurana and Urma (2016) have investigated factors that influence immunization utilisation among children in Ghana. However aside Immurana and Urma (2016) who investigated demand for pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines for children in Ghana, none of these studies investigated the factors that influence the up-take of specific individual vaccines among children in Ghana.…”