Search

Introduction: Vaccination is one of the most effective available tools to prevent infectious diseases. Due to the great importance of vaccination of children, the present study aimed to determine the status of vaccination coverage in children in Abadan before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: In this descriptive study, data related to the vaccination status of 115 children born in 1398 and 98 children born in 1399 were collected. Vaccination delay status was recorded as a ranking variable with a range from "no delay" to "no vaccination" and in four age groups "at birth", two, 4 and 6 months. Number (percentage) was used to present the delay status of vaccination in population subgroups. GEE (generalized estimating equations) and two-way and rank logistic regression were used to compare the delay status of different vaccination periods between two years and also to examine the relationship between demographic variables and delay in vaccination. Analyzes were performed using SPSS 24 software at a significance level of 0.05. Results: With the passage of time from the birth of the baby, a significant increase in the rate of delay in vaccination was observed in both years. Comparing different times between two years, the chance of delay in vaccination in all times of 1399 was higher than 1398 and over time this difference increased so that in 1399 the chance of long delay in four months OR = 1.59 (p = 0.062) and six months OR = 4.87 (p <0.001) was equal to 1398. In general comparison, the chance of long delay in 1399, OR = 1.54 (p = 0.002) was equal to the chance of long delay in 1398. Maternal employment and the child with an underlying disease had a significant effect on increasing the delay in vaccination. Conclusions: Due to the decrease in parental visits for vaccination of children during the Covid-19 epidemic, health officials should make more efforts to maintain coverage and vaccination during this or similar periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]