Special Vaccine Uptake Among Children With Sickle Cell Disease: Coverage, Determinants and Barriers in a Tertiary Hospital in Benin City, Nigeria

Background C hildren with sickle cell disease (SCD) are highly susceptible to severe infections due to functional asplenia. Special vaccines such as pneumococcal, Haemophilus influenzae type b(Hib), meningococcal, influenza and hepatitis B vaccines are recommended to reduce infection- related morbidity and morbidity. However, uptake in low- resource settings remain suboptimal Objective To assess caregivers’ knowledge, attitude and practices regarding special vaccination of children with SCD and determine factors associated with vaccination status. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 caregivers of children with SCD attending University of Benin teaching hospital Benin city. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, vaccination history (Cards sited) and barriers to uptake. Knowledge and attitude were graded using predefined scoring systems. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results Although 60.8% of caregivers knew that children with SCD are prone to serious infections, only 16.2% demonstrated good knowledge. Nearly half (49.2%) of the children were unvaccinated with special vaccines and only 3.1% were fully vaccinated. Financial constraints (65.6%) was the major barrier to uptake. Caregivers’ knowledge (p < 0.001), attitude (p = 0.018) were significantly associated with vaccination status. Conclusion Despite generally positive attitudes, poor knowledge and financial barriers contribute to low uptake of special vaccines among children with SCD. Subsidization and targeted caregiver education are recommended.