Browsing by Author "Ndwandwe, Duduzile"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    COVID-19 and the Gaping Wounds of South Africa’s Suboptimal Immunisation Coverage: An Implementation Research Imperative for Assessing and Addressing Missed Opportunities for Vaccination
    (2021-06-23) Nnaji, Chukwudi A; Wiysonge, Charles S; Lesosky, Maia; Mahomed, Hassan; Ndwandwe, Duduzile
    Despite South Africa’s substantial investments in and efforts at ensuring universal access to immunisation services, progress has stalled and remains suboptimal across provinces and districts. An additional challenge is posed by the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has disrupted immunisation services globally, including in South Africa. While there is growing evidence that missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) are a major contributor to suboptimal immunisation progress globally, not much is known about the burden and determinants of MOV in the South African context. Herein, we make a case for assessing MOV as a strategy to address current immunisation coverage gaps while mitigating the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on immunisation services. We illustrate a practical implementation research approach to assessing the burden of MOV among children in primary care settings; for understanding the factors associated with MOV; and for designing, implementing, and evaluating context-appropriate quality improvement interventions for addressing missed opportunities. Such efforts are vital for building health system resilience and maintaining immunisation programme capacity to optimally deliver essential health services such as routine childhood immunisation, even during pandemics.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Missed Opportunities for Vaccination and Associated Factors among Children Attending Primary Health Care Facilities in Cape Town, South Africa: A Pre-Intervention Multilevel Analysis
    (2022-05-16) Nnaji, Chukwudi A; Wiysonge, Charles S; Adamu, Abdu A; Lesosky, Maia; Mahomed, Hassan; Ndwandwe, Duduzile
    Despite the substantial efforts at ensuring universal access to routine immunisation services among children in South Africa, major gaps in immunisation coverage remain. This study assessed the magnitude of missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) and associated factors among children aged 0–23 months attending primary health care (PHC) facilities in Cape Town. We used multilevel binomial logistic regression models to explore individual and contextual factors associated with MOV, with children aged 0–23 months at Level 1, nested within PHC facilities (Level 2). A total of 674 children and their caregivers were enrolled. MOV prevalence was 14.1%, ranging from 9.1% to 18.9% across sub-districts. Dose-specific MOV prevalence was highest for the second dose of measles vaccine (9.5%) and lowest for the first dose of rotavirus vaccine (0.6%). The likelihood of a child experiencing MOV was significantly associated with caregivers’ low level of education (Odds ratio (OR) = 3.53, 95% credible interval (CrI): 1.13–11.03), recent receipt of immunisation messages (OR = 0.46, 95%CrI: 0.25–0.87), shared immunisation decision making by both parents (OR = 0.21, 95%CrI: 0.07–0.62) and health facility staff number (OR = 0.18, 95%CrI: 0.06–0.61). The burden of MOV among children in Cape Town is influenced by individual and contextual factors, which provide important opportunities for quality improvement and broader strategies to improve routine immunisation service delivery.