AccScience Publishing / GHES / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/GHES025250046
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Knowledge and observance of vaccination norms and standards among vaccine managers in an urban health district of Yaoundé, Cameroon, during the COVID-19 pandemic

Fabrice Zobel Lekeumo Cheuyem1* Adidja Amani1 Brian Ngongheh Ajong2 Raissa Katy Noa Otsali1 Ariane Nouko1 Edwige Omona Guissana3 Christelle Sandrine Ngos1 Mohamadou Adama1 Guy Stéphane Nloga1 Michel Franck Edzamba1 Esther Andriane Bitye Bi Mvondo1 Larissa Linda Eyenga Ntsek1 Christian Mouangue4 Florence Kissougle Nkongo5
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1 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
2 Health Emergencies Program, World Health Organization, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
3 Direction of Family Health, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
4 Data Management Unit, Department of Planning, Public Health Emergency Operations Coordination Centre, Yaoundé, Cameroon
5 Regional Delegation of Public Health for the Centre Region, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Received: 16 June 2025 | Revised: 27 June 2025 | Accepted: 8 July 2025 | Published online: 28 July 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Annual reports have indicated a progressive decline in immunization coverage in Yaoundé. This study aimed to identify knowledge gaps and organizational deficiencies in the implementation of routine immunization in health facilities (HFs) in the Efoulan health district (HD) of Yaoundé. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Efoulan, an urban HD of Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, in May 2022. A self-administered questionnaire and an observation grid were used to collect knowledge-related data. A total of 46 healthcare workers (HCWs) providing vaccinations in the nine health areas of the HD were enrolled in the study. Almost all participants (93.5%) were unable to name all the diseases that the pentavalent vaccine protects against. More than half of the respondents (59%) were aware of the 15-month booster dose of the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine included in the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). Half of the respondents were aware of the type of antigen contained in the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine (52%). More than two-thirds of the respondents (72%) had not identified the 6-month MR vaccine as recommended for HIV-positive children. Almost all the respondents (87%) had poor knowledge of vaccination norms and standards. Most of the visited HFs did not follow the monthly EPI monitoring curve (87%), did not store vaccines according to standards (80%), or lacked an EPI case reporting form (93%). There are still significant deficiencies in the implementation of routine immunization in most HFs in Efoulan HD, which correlate with the staff’s lack of knowledge of EPI norms and standards. Strengthening the capacity of HCWs through ongoing training and supervision is necessary.

Keywords
Expanded program of immunization
Knowledge and observance
Vaccination norms and standards
Healthcare workers
Yaoundé
Cameroon
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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