Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33343791›Full record

ArticleThe Pan African medical journal2020

The performance of routine immunization in selected African countries during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Balcha Girma Masresha, Richard Luce, Messeret Eshetu Shibeshi, Bernard Ntsama, Abubacar N'Diaye, Jethro Chakauya, Alain Poy, Richard Mihigo

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Pan African medical journal, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
61citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
5.8field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

61 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.

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1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Balcha Girma MasreshaWorld Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Cite de Djoue, Brazzaville, Congo.
Richard LuceWorld Health Organization, Inter-Country Support Team for West Africa, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Messeret Eshetu ShibeshiWorld Health Organization, Inter-Country Support Team for East and Southern Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Bernard NtsamaWorld Health Organization, Inter-Country Support Team for West Africa, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Abubacar N'DiayeWorld Health Organization, Inter-Country Support Team for Central Africa, Libreville, Gabon.
Jethro ChakauyaWorld Health Organization, Inter-Country Support Team for East and Southern Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Alain PoyWorld Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Cite de Djoue, Brazzaville, Congo.
Richard MihigoWorld Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Cite de Djoue, Brazzaville, Congo.
World Health Organization - Zimbabwe · ZWWest African Health Organisation · BFWorld Health Organization - Pakistan · PK

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionfollowing the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020, countries started implementing strict control measures, health workers were re-deployed and health facilities re-purposed to assist COVID-19 control efforts. These measures, along with the public concerns of getting COVID-19, led to a decline in the utilization of regular health services including immunization.

methodswe reviewed the administrative routine immunization data from 15 African countries for the period from January 2018 to June 2020 to analyze the trends in the monthly number of children vaccinated with specific antigens, and compare the changes in the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

resultsthirteen of the 15 countries showed a decline in the monthly average number of vaccine doses provided, with 6 countries having more than 10% decline. Nine countries had a lower monthly mean of recipients of first dose measles vaccination in the second quarter of 2020 as compared to the first quarter. Guinea, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Gabon, and South Sudan experienced a drop in the monthly number of children vaccinated for DPT3 and/or MCV1 of greater than 2 standard deviations at some point in the second quarter of 2020 as compared to the mean for the months January-June of 2018 and 2019.

conclusioncountries with lower immunization coverage in the pre-COVID period experienced larger declines in the number of children vaccinated immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Prolonged and significant reduction in the number of children vaccinated poses a serious risk for outbreaks such as measles. Countries should monitor coverage trends at national and subnational levels, and undertake catch-up vaccination activities to ensure that children who have missed scheduled vaccines receive them at the earliest possible time.

Indexed as

COVID-19AfricaChildDisease OutbreaksHumansImmunization ScheduleVaccinationVaccination CoverageVaccinesVaccinesAfricacoverageCOVID-19immunisationmeaslesvaccine

Identifiers

PMID33343791
PMCPMC7733346
OpenAlexW3093028655

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.