Adverse events following immunization from a peri-urban community of Dhaka city

Introduction:  Adverse events following immunization (AEFI) have become a major obstacle in improving vaccination coverage in Bangladesh for the last few years. The magnitude of problems, especially in the peri-urban area, is virtually unknown. Objective: The status of AEFI in a peri-urban area of Dhaka city was investigated.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Satarkul union under Badda thana, Dhaka, Bangladesh to find out the AEFI among infants during February-June 2005. In total, 112 caretakers of infants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Results: There was no complaint of any major AEFI. About 77.7% stated that the babies had local pain after the vaccination with mean duration pain was 2.21 hours with SD 2.82. Also the mean duration of the local pain was 45.70 hours with SD 22.02 hours after 2 days. Just above two-thirds (67.9%) reported reddening, 62.5% fever, 20.5% had a problem of excessive irritation, 11.6% complained of vomiting, 50% had long incessant crying, and 71.4% faced local swelling. However, there was no complaint of any episode of convulsion or unconsciousness, floppiness of the limbs, shivering of the body, lymphadenitis, boil, paralysis of the limbs, and any episode of diarrhoea. The problems of adverse events after the vaccination were minor and, in some cases, just a common inflammatory reaction.

Conclusion: Awareness among mothers regarding their complaints and misunderstandings is necessary. Advocacy should be designed to advise people not to get afraid of common reactions and side effects after vaccination. Surveillance on AEFI is strongly recommended.