Poverty, long travel distances to clinics, low literacy levels among parents and the spread of misinformation on social media are standing in the way of childhood vaccination. As a result, many children remain unprotected against preventable diseases such as measles and polio, as well as dangerous pneumococcal infections that can cause life-threatening illnesses like meningitis, suggests a University of the Western Cape-led (UWC) study.
The review found that negative experiences in clinics, loss of income, living in a large family, and transport costs are all associated with lower childhood immunisation rates.
The research was led by Dr Bridgette Lockett from UWC’s School of Nursing. She is also a post-graduate lecturer at Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Co-authors of the study include Dr Juliana Willemse from UWC and Dr Rugira Modeste from Stellenbosch University’s Department of Nursing and Midwifery.
They found that caregivers’ knowledge about vaccines vary widely, with much lower awareness in communities with lower levels of education. Parental education is one of the strongest factors in determining whether a child completes their full vaccination schedule.
The findings come as parts of Cape Town are experiencing flare-ups of preventable childhood illnesses such as measles and meningitis. Last week, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness said it is responding to outbreaks of measles and diphtheria in several areas of the city, largely driven by falling childhood immunisation rates that have created gaps in population immunity across the province.
“We are monitoring disease surveillance data to identify trends, clusters, outbreaks and areas that must be prioritised for target vaccination or outreach,” the department noted.
Eleven cases of meningococcal infection were recorded in parts of the city this year, including the Winelands and Overberg regions, mostly among babies under 12 months old.
Researchers say, despite immunisation being one of the most effective and affordable public health tools, millions of children, particularly in countries like South Africa, still miss out on life-saving vaccines, threatening progress towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health and well-being. They suggest that health education programmes should be tailored to different cultural contexts and educational levels, while healthcare workers need better training to address vaccine myths and build trust. They added that these efforts must be closely monitored to ensure they improve childhood immunisation and public health outcomes.
The research, titled “A systematic review on factors influencing immunisation adherence among children under 12 years of age”, was published in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences.
Author: Sipokazi Fokazi, Institutional Advancement
