Vaccine completion as part of routine vaccination before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the ASACODJENEKA health area in Bamako, Mali, 2019-2020.

Abstract

.Background: Vaccine-preventable diseases are responsible for over two million deaths per year worldwide. This situation calls for increased and continuous reinforcement of vaccine prevention systems. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's participation in Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) activities in urban settings. Methodology: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 2,393 children who received one of the EPI schedule vaccines between 2019 and 2020 at the ASACODJENEKA community health center in Bamako. Results: An EPI vaccine completeness rate of 57.7% in 2019 and 55.5% in 2020 was observed (p=0.294). The proportion of girls not completing the vaccination schedule rose from 19.3% in 2019 to 21.6% in 2020 (p=0.572). The monthly proportion of children fully vaccinated in 2019 before the pandemic is significantly different from the one observed in 2020 for the months of November (Chi-square = 10, p= 0.001) and December (Chi-square = 23, p= 1.562.10-6). Conclusion: The results of the current study suggest that the trend towards completeness of the EPI vaccination schedule was better in this urban community before the pandemic as compared to the period after it. Measures to maintain the smooth running of important health interventions must be taken in the event of a health catastrophe such as the COVID-19 pandemic