TITLE:
Immunisation Status of Children Born with Orofacial Clefts Who Visited the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Multidisciplinary Cleft Clinic
AUTHORS:
Alexander Oti Acheampong, Alex Ansah Owusu, Ama Amuasi, Philippe Pare, Sandra Oyakhilome, Baffour Gyau-Darko, Gyikua Plange-Rhule, Peter Donkor
KEYWORDS:
Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate, Combined Cleft Lip and Palate, Immunisation, Vaccination, Stigma
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Immunology,
Vol.6 No.4,
December
26,
2016
ABSTRACT: Background: The Ghana Expanded Programme on Immunisation recommends that
children receive Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) at
birth; three doses of Penta vaccine and OPV at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age; and measles
vaccine at 9 months of age. Aim/Objective: To evaluate the immunisation status
of children born with orofacial clefts who visited the KATH multidisciplinary Cleft
clinic. Methodology/Statistics: The study was a descriptive study with a cross-sectional
design. The methodology consisted of in-person interviews of mothers of children
born with cleft lip and palate reporting at KATH Cleft clinic. Interview guides were
used for mothers who could not read. Mothers who were literate and as such could
answer the questions directly were given questionnaires to fill. Result: It was reported
that of the 83 children included, 47 (57%) had been fully vaccinated and on time, 24
(29%) had been fully vaccinated but delayed and 12 (14%) had not been vaccinated at
all. Children with isolated cleft palate and macrostomia were fully vaccinated on time
(77.3% and 100%, respectively) as compared to those with combined cleft lip and
palate (43.3%) and isolated cleft lip (50.0%). The majority (77%) of the mothers who
either had not vaccinated their children or had delayed in vaccinating them attributed
stigmatisation as the main cause. Most of the mothers (95%) had knowledge of
immunisation. About two-thirds of the mothers (65%) agreed that establishing an
immunisation centre at the cleft clinic is the best way to improve immunisation rate
among children with orofacial clefts. Conclusion: The study showed that the percentage
of children with orofacial cleft who visited the KATH Cleft Clinic and were vaccinated on time was above the national average. Cleft palates were more vaccinated
and on time than cleft lips. According to the children’s mothers, lack of timely
vaccination was mainly due to the stigma associated with clefts in their societies.