BARRIERS TO CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION AMONG THE ROHINGYA REFUGEES IN KLANG, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the immunization status and the barriers to childhood immunization among the Rohingya refugees in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 mothers of Rohingya refugee children aged 6 months to 5 years old residing in Taman Sentosa and Kampung Sungai Pinang during the study period of two weeks in March 2015. Stratified random sampling method was carried out and mothers who met the selection criteria were recruited into the study. A face to face interview was done to determine the immunization status of children and to identify the barriers to immunization. Results: The prevalence of ‘no immunization’ and ‘incomplete immunization’ in this study was 3.3% and 37.9% respectively. In the univariate analysis, variables that were significantly associated with incomplete immunization included: child’s place of birth, child’s documentation status, length of stay of the mother in Malaysia, fathers’ level of education, mothers’ first source of information about childhood immunization, whether or not mothers knew the immunization schedule, inconvenient clinic working hours, unfriendliness of healthcare providers and lack of time. After the multivariate analysis, child’s documentation status, child’s age, length of stay of the mother in Malaysia, and whether or not the mothers knew of any diseases which can be prevented through immunization were independently associated with incomplete immunization. Conclusions: The findings in this study suggested that Rohingya refugee children who do not have the UNHCR card and those less than 24 months of age are more likely to have incomplete immunization. Also, Rohingya refugee mothers who have been living in Malaysia for less than 4 years and mothers who do not know of any diseases which can be prevented through immunization are more likely to have children with incomplete immunization. Key words: Barriers, Vaccination, Immunization, Rohingya refugees, Malaysia.