CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONS; IMPORTANCE, CHALLENGES, AND ADVANCES; A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Background: Childhood vaccinations are among the greatest preventive measures in medicine and a child’s development in terms of combating preventable infections. However, there are obstacles and limitations such as hesitance to immunization, lack of access, and coordination complications that hamper adequate immunization at the international level.

Objectives: To look at such issues as status, opportunities and prospects for childhood immunization to broaden the knowledge of the issue and to achieve better results in the probability of correct immunization. Study design: A prospective study performs the assessment of the subjects at several distinct time points.

Duration and place of study: from Jan 2022 to Jan 2023, Department of Pediatric HMC Peshawar Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the vaccination status, perceived barriers to vaccination, and the acceptance of innovative vaccination administrative strategies in children aged between one and twelve years in a selected community were investigated in one hundred patients. Records from the doctors where the children had undergone treatment were used to extract information as well as parental questionnaires and subsequent interviews with the parents. Descriptive analysis comprised of mean and standard deviation for mean age and p-value comparisons pertaining to vaccination uptake.

Results: The study comprised 100 patients with a mean age of 6. 5 years (standard deviation: On average, it took 3. 2 years to get an appointment with a specialist after the first GP consultation for each of the diseases. Of the total patients, 8% of them did not receive all the recommended vaccines as vaccination compliance was established to be at 92%. Some respondents said they never intended to take the vaccine, reasoning for not taking the vaccine were misperception (45%), perceived risk of side effects (35%), and perceived inconvenience of accessing vaccine (20%). Introduction of needle- free delivery methods increased compliance, with a significant improvement in vaccination rates (p- value: Range = 0. 001 – 0. 03 This indicates that the median value the percentage acceptor usage of QKI5 is comparatively low at 0. 03. Camps by the parents helped save a lot of misconceptions concerning vaccinations, and therefore a higher acceptance of the vaccines.

Conclusion: Immunization of children is critical in the prevention of disease and general wellbeing of the community. Combating skepticism about vaccines and enhancing the supplies via technology and knowledge are the keys to raising immunization levels. Close collaboration on a global level and further research is crucial in eradicating current problems and ensuring the immunization of the world’s population.