%0 Journal Article
%T Tetanus Toxin Antibody Levels in Pre-School Nigerian Children after Three Doses of Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus/Pentavalent Immunization: A Cross-Sectional Study
%A Emmanuel E. Ekanem
%A Helen O. Uket
%A Henry C. Okpara
%J World Journal of Vaccines
%P 39-52
%@ 2160-5823
%D 2018
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/wjv.2018.82005
%X Background: Post-neonatal tetanus is an important problem. Prevention of tetanus in Nigeria is via immunization with three doses of Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus (DPT)/Pentavalent vaccine at 6, 10 and 14 weeks. The anti-tetanus antibody levels of these children are not known after they had received DPT3/Pentavalent vaccines. Aim: This work was to determine the anti-tetanus antibody (IgG) response in Nigerian children aged six months to five years who had received three doses of DPT vaccine in early infancy. Methods: Children aged six months to five years who were attended to in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for acute illnesses were recruited. Their anti-tetanus IgG levels were measured using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The optimal cut-off level of ¡Ý0.1 IU/ml was used as the protective level. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 with simple proportions and percentages. Students¡¯ ¡°t¡± test and ANOVA were used to compare quantitative variables while Chi-square and Fisher¡¯s exact test were used to compare categorical data. Results: Four hundred and eighteen children participated in the study. The mean IgG antibody level was 1.021 ¡À 0.9 IU/ml. Four hundred children (95.7%) had protective levels of antibodies. The highest proportion of subjects with protective levels was in infants, 6 - 11 months (99%) and lowest in children aged 36 - 47 months (92.2%). Conclusion: The proportion of children with protective levels was above 90% in all age groups studied. The current national immunization schedule is adequate. Further studies in older age groups are needful.
%K DPT/Pentavalent Vaccine
%K Antibodies
%K Response
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=84362