Sodhar Irshad Ali, Mehraj Jaishri, Hussaini Anum S, Aamir Muhammad, Mahsaud Jahanuddin, Ahmed Shabbir, Shaikh Ahmed Ali, Zardari Asif Ali, Rasool Shumaila, Chandio Shoukat Ali, Stuckey Erin M
Emergency Operation Center Sindh, Government of Sindh, Karachi 75510, Pakistan.
Integral Global Health Inc., Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
Vaccines (Basel). 2024 Sep 1;12(9):1006. doi: 10.3390/vaccines12091006.
Population movement dynamics are a critical part of understanding communicable disease transmission patterns and determining where, when, and with whom to deliver appropriate prevention interventions. This study aimed to identify the origin of the Afghan population and their patterns of movement within Karachi, to assess the polio vaccination status of children under the age of five, and to investigate the travel history and guest arrival patterns of individuals from Afghanistan and other regions known to be affected by wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) within the past six months. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in selected 12 union councils of Karachi, Pakistan. The data were collected through interviews with Afghan household members and from the frontline workers (FLWs) responsible for the polio vaccination of the children of the same households. Cohen's kappa was used to check the agreement between information provided by the household participant and FLWs. A total of 409 Afghan household members were interviewed. Travel of any household member outside the city within the last six months was reported by 105 (25.7%) participants, 140 (34.2%) hosted guests within the last six months, and 92 (22.5%) participants reported that guest children were vaccinated in their households. A total of 230 (56.2%) participants observed polio teams at relatives' households within Karachi, and 127 (31.1%) observed polio teams at relatives' households outside Karachi in different districts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Fair to moderate agreement was observed between information provided by the household members and FLWs on the variable's duration of living at current residence (Kappa = 0.370), travel history (Kappa = 0.429), guest arrival (Kappa = 0.395), and household children vaccinated for OPV (Kappa = 0.419). Substantial population mobility was observed between Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as significant movement of the Afghan population within Karachi in the last six months. These findings warrant attention and targeted implementation of interventions to enhance and sustain both routine and supplementary immunization activities within this demographic group.
人口流动动态是理解传染病传播模式以及确定在何处、何时以及对何人实施适当预防干预措施的关键部分。本研究旨在确定阿富汗人口的来源及其在卡拉奇市内的流动模式，评估五岁以下儿童的脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种状况，并调查过去六个月内来自阿富汗及其他已知受1型野生脊髓灰质炎病毒（WPV1）影响地区的人员的旅行史和访客到访模式。在巴基斯坦卡拉奇选定的12个联合委员会中进行了一项横断面调查。数据通过对阿富汗家庭成员的访谈以及对负责为同家庭儿童进行脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种的一线工作人员（FLWs）收集。使用科恩kappa系数来检验家庭参与者和一线工作人员提供的信息之间的一致性。共采访了409名阿富汗家庭成员。105名（25.7%）参与者报告说在过去六个月内有任何家庭成员出城旅行，140名（34.2%）在过去六个月内接待过访客，92名（22.5%）参与者报告说访客儿童在其家中接种过疫苗。共有230名（56.2%）参与者在卡拉奇市内的亲戚家中看到过脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种团队，127名（31.1%）在巴基斯坦和阿富汗不同地区的卡拉奇市外亲戚家中看到过脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种团队。在家庭成员和一线工作人员提供的关于在当前住所居住时间（kappa = 0.370）、旅行史（kappa = 0.429）、访客到访（kappa = 0.395）以及家庭口服脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种儿童（kappa = 0.419）等变量的信息之间，观察到了中等程度的一致性。在过去六个月内，观察到阿富汗和巴基斯坦之间有大量人口流动，以及阿富汗人口在卡拉奇市内有显著流动。这些发现值得关注，并针对性地实施干预措施，以加强和维持该人群中的常规免疫和补充免疫活动。
