Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities During COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience from Penampang District, Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

Background: Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) were carried out in the State of Sabah in response to the Vaccine Derived Poliovirus outbreak declared in December 2019. Prior to this, Malaysia had been polio-free over the past 27 years. This paper reported on the successful implementation of SIAs in the district of Penampang, Sabah, adapting (vaccine administration) to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A series of meticulous planning, healthcare staff training, advocacy, and community engagement activities were conducted by the Penampang District Health Office. Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) and monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine were administered over the period of 1 year via these methods: house to house, drive-through, static, and mobile posts. The targeted group was 22 096 children aged 13 years and below. Results: Polio SIAs in Penampang managed to achieve more than 90% coverage for both bOPV and mOPV. The overall vaccine wastage was reported to be 1.63%. No major adverse reaction was reported. Conclusion: High vaccine uptake during Polio SIAs in Penampang was attributed to good inter-agency collaboration, community engagement, intensified health promotion activities, and drive-through vaccination campaign.

Socioecological Challenges of Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Systematic Review

“…These community intervention activities increased social and religious belief in the polio eradication mission by establishing a strong, positive relationship between community members and healthcare workers according to Choudhary et al [ 24 ]. While another study done in Sabah, Malaysia, suggested that active participation of local influencers, such religious person, local leader, and retired government servants not only improved the social belief on the SIA activities but contributed to the success of the SIA program [ 26 ]. Although the detailed functions of community mobilizer in each article were not clearly mentioned, the following are some important targets to be achieved suggested by the GPEI, for example, shifting from a campaign-focused approach to instead making investments in sustained trust and relationship building with communities, reviewing accomplishments using the Minimum Quality Standards and Indicators for Community Engagement seeking opportunities for improving social mobilization activities in outbreak settings and including community engagement indicators in campaign preparedness dashboards to ensure social mobilization activities are tracked against meaningful indicators [ 1 ].…”

A solution towards a viable compensation mechanism for injury from COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia: A qualitative study

“…Malaysia recognised the significance of vaccinations in safeguarding long-term public health and established the National Immunisation Programme in 1950, which is a free programme provided for all Malaysian children in government facilities [ 2 ]. The success of the vaccination programme was demonstrated by the decline in the incidence of poliomyelitis since the introduction of the oral polio vaccine in 1972, with no instances documented since 1986 [ 3 ].…”

A Behavioural-Theory-Based Qualitative Study of the Beliefs and Perceptions of Marginalised Populations towards Community Volunteering to Increase Measles Immunisation Coverage in Sabah, Malaysia

“…The MyVac initiative is a nationwide volunteer mobilisation programme that engages individuals who are willing to aid the country's COVID-19 immunisation programme by reaching out to normally inaccessible groups of people [3]. Community volunteering also significantly helped supplementary immunisation activities (SIAs) for the polio disease in Sabah [4]. Some of the benefits of volunteering include community empowerment; increased resilience and social connectedness [5]; fostering a sense of communal trust, belonging [6], and support; and improving mental health [7].…”