The benefits of vaccination are demonstrated through the eradication and significant decrease in vaccine-preventable disease incidence, although the coverage of highly recommended vaccines is often below the threshold. This threshold is the minimum coverage required to eliminate the circulation of the virus and development in susceptible subjects. By not achieving the minimum coverage, cases will continue to occur at rates that could have been otherwise avoided through vaccination procedures. The complexity of this problem is only enhanced when it is understood that vaccine barriers are not uniform across countries. Specifically, when comparing countries of different socioeconomic status’, the list of barriers takes a significant shift. Looking at the barriers in America in comparison to West Africa, the differences are significant. America is among the more advanced countries in the healthcare field but the barriers between an individual and vaccinating are typically more subjective. Some of the most common barriers of vaccination include vaccine hesitancy, religion, and low priority. Whereas in West Africa, a region with many developing countries, the barriers they face are often out of their control. This commonly looks like lacking accessibility, education, and operational challenges. Despite the national investment in vaccination programs, Africa has the lowest childhood vaccination coverage worldwide. This project aims to educate on the differences of vaccination barriers in countries of varying socioeconomic status’. Understanding these differences is important to address vaccination coverage below the threshold around the world by taking a transdisciplinary approach.
Author: Gabrielle Schafer
Faculty Advisors: Helaine Alessio, Kinesology and Health; Cameron Hay-Rollins, Anthropology and Global Health Studies; Paul Flaspohler, Psychology
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