Supporting Immunization Uptake during a Pandemic, Using Remote Phone Call Intervention among Babies Discharged from a Special Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) in South India
Seema Murthy,
Meenal Sawant,
Sahana Sadholalu Doreswamy,
Sateesh Chandra Pothula,
Shirley Du Yan,
Tanmay Singh Pathani,
Deepali Thakur,
Srikrishna Rajarama Sastry Vemuri,
Sanjeev Upadhyaya,
Shahed Alam,
Madireddy Alimelu,
Himabindu Singh
Affiliations
Seema Murthy
Aurora Health Innovations, Bengaluru 560038, India
Meenal Sawant
Aurora Health Innovations, Bengaluru 560038, India
Sahana Sadholalu Doreswamy
Aurora Health Innovations, Bengaluru 560038, India
Sateesh Chandra Pothula
Aurora Health Innovations, Bengaluru 560038, India
Shirley Du Yan
Noora Health, Bengaluru 560038, India
Tanmay Singh Pathani
Aurora Health Innovations, Bengaluru 560038, India
Deepali Thakur
Aurora Health Innovations, Bengaluru 560038, India
Srikrishna Rajarama Sastry Vemuri
United Nations Children’s Fund India, Hyderabad 500034, India
Sanjeev Upadhyaya
United Nations Children’s Fund India, Hyderabad 500034, India
Shahed Alam
Noora Health, Bengaluru 560038, India
Madireddy Alimelu
Niloufer Hospital, Hyderabad 500004, India
Himabindu Singh
Department of Neonatology and Pediatrics, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad 500095, India
COVID-19 has impacted children’s immunization rates, putting the lives of children at risk. The present study assesses the impact of phone-call counseling, on immunization uptake during the pandemic. Families of babies discharged from the SNCUs in six government centers in three South Indian states were recruited. Calls were made 10 days after the immunization due date. Missed vaccinees were counseled and followed up on 7 and 15 days. Of 2313 contacted, 2097 completed the survey. Respondents were mostly mothers (88.2%), poor (67.5%), and had secondary level education (37.4%). Vaccinations were missed due to the baby’s poor health (64.1%), COVID-19 related concerns (32.6%), and lack of awareness (16.8%). At the end of the intervention, the immunization uptake increased from 65.2% to 88.2%. Phone-call intervention can safely support immunization and lower the burden on health workers.
