V Y Adam1,2
,
E D Onowugbeda2,
Fatemah I Osifo1,
I Otaniyen-Igbinoba1
For correspondence:- V Adam Email: vincent.adam@uniben.edu Tel: +2348023327951
Received: 26 July 2020 Accepted: 2 September 2020 Published: 23 September 2020
Citation: Adam VY, Onowugbeda ED, Osifo FI, Otaniyen-Igbinoba I. Pattern and treatment of adverse effects following immunization (AEFI) in infants attending well-baby clinics in secondary health facilities in Benin City, Nigeria. Trop J Med Dent Pract 2020; 1(1):25-30 doi: https://doi.org/10.47227/tjmdp/v1i1.4
© 2020 The author(s).
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..
Background: Despite its numerous benefits, the fear of adverse effects following immunization (AEFI) may affect vaccination uptake. This study determined the pattern and treatment of AEFI in infants attending well-baby clinics in secondary health facilities in Benin City.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 404 caregivers of infants that attended immunization clinics in two public secondary health facilities in Benin City, Nigeria. Systematic sampling technique was used in selecting the respondents. Data was collected using an adapted structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire.
Results: A total of 404 respondents participated in the study. Almost a third of the caregivers, 128 (31.8%) mentioned faulty method of vaccine administration, while 91 (22.6%) of them reported non-viable vaccines as causes of AEFI. BCG, OPV and pentavalent vaccines were responsible for most of the AEFI observed. Only 37 (9.2%) of the caregivers had ever reported an AEFI. Pain at the injection site 10 (27.0%), boils 10 (27.0%), and fever 9 (24.3%) were the common AEFI reported at the health facilities by the caregivers. Drugs 58 (77.4%) and icepacks 16 (21.4%) were mainly used to treat the AEFI by the caregivers.
Conclusion: The common AEFI observed by the caregivers were fever and pain at injection sites, which mainly occurred following BCG, OPV and PENTA vaccines administration. Drugs and icepacks were used for treatment of AEFI. Health workers should continue to educate and reassure caregivers of the management of symptoms and signs that may occur following vaccination.
