Evaluation of Diphtheria Tetanus Vaccination Campaign of Thai Population in age group of 20-50 years in 2014 – 2015

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluation of impact diphtheria and tetanus vaccination campaign of Thai population in age group of 20 - 50 years in 2014–2015. The samples were 50 individuals who were chief executive officers, health care workers and relevant persons at the local health care service level. A mix method for quantitative data was used; and data were presented with percentage. Categorical variables were compared by chi-square, and continuous variables were compared by T-test statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. It was found that the policy and targets of the campaign were clear for operation. All of implementation centers belong to the government. The campaign was strongly supported by the Thai government but there was a gap for communication from the executive level to the operation level. The dT vaccine was sufficient, but the budget for the media and caregivers was not enough. The vaccination coverage rate was 74.7% after the campaign. The proportion of morbidity decreased significantly (p=0.001). Policy recommendations from this study were: (1) for the big vaccination campaign, sufficient time should be required to communicate between policy makers and implementers in the field; (2) the campaign should be widely publicized to gain attention from healthcare workers and the target groups; (3) the time period for the campaign should be short and precise; (4) Ministry of Public Health should include the dT campaign for adult target every 10 years to prevent wide spread epidemics; (5) service provides should widely publicize the campaign, and outreach vaccination should be considered to reach the target groups who would be unable to attend health centers for vaccination during office hours, (6) database for the vaccine coverage and the vaccination records of the target groups should be saved for planning and future campaigns; (7) budget should be provided to Ministry of Public Health for allocating to relevant vaccination service provides; and (8) inclusion and cooperation of private sector and non-government organizations should be promoted in order to achieve the vaccination target.