COMPARATIVE RATE OF MEASLES AMONG VACCINATED AND UNVACCINATED SYMPTOMATIC CHILDREN: A CLINIC-BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Abstract
Background Pakistan has been experiencing cases of measles even though there is a very effective and safe vaccine for this disease available for quite some time. The main reason for this is that Pakistan has very low vaccination rates. Objective To compare the rate of confirmed measles infection among vaccinated versus unvaccinated symptomatic children presenting to a pediatric unit, and to assess the magnitude of vaccine-associated protection using relative risk and odds ratio. Methods A clinic-based cross-sectional study was conducted for three months in pediatric departments of Saidu Group of Teaching hospitals,Swat and Northwest General Hospital, Peshawar.. The total number of participants involved in this study were four hundred, aged between 4 months[WA1] [rs2] and 15 years. Participants were categorized into two groups: those who were vaccinated (at least once) or those who were not vaccinated. Information regarding demographics, vaccination status, and measles status of patients was recorded via a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 25. Results Out of the total 400 children involved in this study, 223 (55.8%) were boys[WA3] [rs4] , while 177 (44.3%) were girls, with a mean age of 4.7 years (± SD 3.8). Out of the total number of 400 children, 201 (50.2%) were diagnosed with the infection of measles. Vaccine coverage was found at 55.5% (n = 222). Maximum prevalence of the disease was seen among 5-10 year-old children (56.6%), Among confirmed measles cases, 58.7% were female and 41.3% were male (p=0.006); sex-specific attack rates were 66.7% in girls (118/177) vs. 37.2% in boys (83/223). There was a significant relationship between measles and vaccination status (p = 0.04), with vaccinated children having a 36% lower risk of measles (RR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.54–0.75; OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.24–0.57). Conclusion It was found that there were a lot of cases of measles in individuals who did not receive vaccination. It can be clearly seen from this study how important it is for the prevention of diseases to get vaccinated.