Effect of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the proportion of children under five with pneumonia at Bashair Teaching Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan

Introduction: Pneumonia is a major respiratory infection that threatens children under five worldwide. The study aimed to estimate the proportion of children under five with pneumonia at Bashair Teaching Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan, the effect of the 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, and to examine correlations with gender, age, household size, mother’s occupation and education, birth weight, breastfeeding in the first six months, immunization, previous pneumonia, and chronic disease.Method: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted between May and September 2019. The chi-square test was used to analyse the association between the development of pneumonia infection and documented risk factors. A binary logistic regression was made for each risk factor with a p-value ≤ 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval.Results: The proportion of pneumonia among the target children was 26.0%, compared to 36.2% in 2011 and 31.6% in 2012. Association of pneumonia was statistically significant (P ≤0.05) with vaccination status (OR=5.059, 95% Cl 1.485 - 17.2367, p = 0.010), and chronic disease (AOR=0.147, 95% Cl 0.032- 0.674, p=0.014).Conclusion: A reduced proportion of pneumonia has led to a decrease in mortality among children under five following the introduction of the candidate vaccine. Further studies are needed to establish associations between other risk factors and the development of pneumonia to support children’s health.