Department of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, 1229, Bangladesh.
Global Health Institute, North South University, Dhaka, 1229, Bangladesh.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2023 Aug 31;23(1):937. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09945-z.
The vaccination of the Rohingya refugees and host communities against COVID-19 in Cox's Bazar started in August 2021. Government authorities and Non-Government Organisation partners implemented a project around the initial period of vaccination to improve awareness and access to target beneficiaries. We conducted formative research to understand the programmatic approach of this project and identify potential challenges and community perceptions regarding immunisation against COVID-19.
This was formative research in which we used a qualitative method of data collection. Purposively chosen 12 key-informant interviews and conveniently chosen 20 in-depth interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview guidelines from August to September 2022 in the Rohingya camp and host communities of Cox's Bazar District, Bangladesh. Ethical approval was obtained from the North South University Institutional Review Board, and written informed consent was obtained from all the participants. We used a thematic analysis approach to analyse the data.
The project neither provided any promotional or tailored messages regarding the COVID-19 vaccine nor conducted any vaccine hesitancy surveys before implementing the project. The project did not provide any storage facilities for the vaccines' cold chain management but provided transport support to carry the vaccines from the district to the sub-district level. Community leaders were included in the decision-making process during local-level planning of the vaccination programme. The project supported the reporting of any adverse effects following immunisation from community members to the government health authorities. Vaccine hesitancy among participants was high in the early stages, but mass campaigns and vaccination of frontline health workers increased their acceptance. The major challenges reported by the informants were low budget and lower salaries of field staff, stacking of the registration process at the beginning, reluctance of participants, inadequate transportation and manpower, and inadequate baby feeding corners at vaccination centers.
The findings from our study will help policymakers from the Government, the UN, and other humanitarian agencies to adapt and better address the issue of vaccine acceptance and strengthen the vaccination programme.
2021 年 8 月，在 Cox's Bazar 开始为罗兴亚难民和收容社区接种 COVID-19 疫苗。政府当局和非政府组织合作伙伴在疫苗接种初期实施了一个项目，以提高目标受益人的意识和获得疫苗的机会。我们进行了形成性研究，以了解该项目的方案方法，并确定针对 COVID-19 免疫接种的潜在挑战和社区看法。
这是一项形成性研究，我们使用了定性的数据收集方法。2022 年 8 月至 9 月，在孟加拉国 Cox's Bazar 区的罗兴亚难民营和收容社区，我们采用半结构化访谈指南， purposively 选择了 12 名关键信息提供者访谈，方便选择了 20 名深入访谈。我们从所有参与者那里获得了书面知情同意。我们使用主题分析方法对数据进行分析。
该项目在实施项目之前，既没有提供任何关于 COVID-19 疫苗的宣传或定制信息，也没有进行任何疫苗犹豫调查。该项目没有为疫苗冷链管理提供任何储存设施，但为从地区到分区级别的疫苗运输提供了支持。在地方一级的疫苗接种计划规划过程中，社区领导人被纳入决策过程。该项目支持社区成员向政府卫生当局报告接种疫苗后的任何不良反应。在早期阶段，参与者的疫苗犹豫情绪很高，但大规模宣传和一线卫生工作者的接种增加了他们的接受度。线人报告的主要挑战是预算低，现场工作人员的工资低，登记过程在开始时堆积，参与者不愿意，交通和人力不足，以及接种中心的婴儿喂养角不足。
我们研究的结果将帮助政府、联合国和其他人道主义机构的政策制定者适应并更好地解决疫苗接受问题，并加强疫苗接种计划。
