Baltazar, Cynthia Semá;
Rafael, Florentina;
Langa, José Paulo M;
Chicumbe, Sergio;
Cavailler , Philippe;
Gessner, Bradford D;
Pezzoli, Lorenzo;
Barata, Américo;
Zaina, Dores;
Inguane, Dortéia;
Mengel, Martin A;
Munier, Aline.
PLos ONE; 13 (10), 2018
Publication year: 2018
In addition to improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) measures and optimal case management, the introduction of Oral cholera vaccine (OCV) is a complementary strategy for cholera prevention and control for vulnerable population groups. In October 2016, the Mozambique Ministry of Health implemented a mass vaccination campaign using a two-dose regimen of the Shanchol™ OCV in six high-risk neighborhoods of Nampula city, in Northern Mozambique. Overall 193,403 people were targeted by the campaign, which used a door-to-door strategy. During campaign follow-up, a population survey was conducted to assess: (1) OCV coverage; (2) frequency of adverse events following immunization; (3) vaccine acceptability and (4) reasons for non-vaccination. In the absence of a household listing and clear administrative neighborhood delimitations, we used geospatial technology to select households from satellite images and used the support of community leaders. One person per household was randomly selected for interview. In total, 636 individuals were enrolled in the survey. The overall vaccination coverage with at least one dose (including card and oral reporting) was 69.5% (95%CI: 51.2-88.2) and the two-dose coverage was 51.2% (95%CI: 37.9-64.3). The campaign was well accepted. Among the 185 non-vaccinated individuals, 83 (44.6%) did not take the vaccine because they were absent when the vaccination team visited their houses. Among the 451 vaccinated individuals, 47 (10%) reported minor and non-specific complaints, and 78 (17.3%) mentioned they did not receive any information before the campaign. In spite of overall coverage being slightly lower than expected, the use of a mobile door-to-door strategy remains a viable option even in densely-populated urban settings. Our results suggest that campaigns can be successfully implemented and well accepted in Mozambique in non-emergency contexts in order to prevent cholera outbreaks. These findings are encouraging and complement the previous Mozambican experience related to OCV.
Research dataNumber of OCV doses received
S1 Table: Number of OCV doses received (oral reporting and vaccination card) stratified by age group and gender in the six most vulnerable neighborhoods of Nampula city, Mozambique, 2016. (DOCX)
GUID: C9486669-4863-4079-9A37-9B0CDC572CE1
Number of OCV doses received
S2 Table: Number of OCV doses received (oral reporting and vaccination card) stratified by place of residence in the six most vulnerable neighborhoods of Nampula city, Mozambique, 2016. (DOCX)
GUID: 978BD6C5-F65A-467C-AF6E-74EF819FC6B1
Questionnaire used for the coverage survey in Nampula
S1 File: Questionnaire used for the coverage survey in Nampula. (RAR)
GUID: BFD2D779-42EB-4DB4-B8FD-72F7DBD85652