Public Health United

A recent national survey in Nigeria revealed that only 33 percent of children received all three doses of the pentavalent vaccine (which include vaccines for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, H. influenzae and Hepatitis B), well below the global World Health Organization goal of 90 percent. For comparison, the global average for children who have received all three doses is 85 percent. Kyla Hayford, PhD, is an Assistant Scientist at the Johns Hopkins International Vaccine Access Center who works on improving surveillance of the effectiveness of vaccines and how to improve coverage rates in countries like Nigeria. In this podcast, we talk about better tests for estimating the effectiveness of vaccination (i.e. serological surveillance), the causes of lower coverage rates in Nigeria, and how to translate research into interpretable and useable material for policymakers. Check out our show links at www.publichealthunited.org and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at PHUscicomm and drscicomm.