Where there's a Will there's a Way: Attitudes and Perceptions of India's Primary Health Center Physicians Regarding Measles Eradication Público

Lambert, Stephanie Anne (2014)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/7h149q55d?locale=es
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Abstract

In 2010, the WHO stated that measles "can and should be eradicated." Currently, measles continues to cause the death of approximately 158,000 people each year. Half of these deaths occur in India. The successful elimination of measles transmission in India is critical for the success of global measles eradication. In order to build the political will necessary to eradicate measles in India, full support must be present among its physicians. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate and compare attitudes and perceptions of primary health center (PHC) physicians in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar towards measles disease, immunization, and eradication. Methods: A subset of secondary data was analyzed from a survey assessing PHC physician attitudes towards polio eradication, measles eradication, and general immunization. The survey instrument was given in-person to PHC physicians from blocks with at least one confirmed polio case during January 2006 to June 2009. Results: The majority of PHC physicians support statements that measles eradication is important (93.45%) and likely (90.53%). PHC physicians who reported that unvaccinated children were likely to become severely ill if infected with measles were 2.2 times more likely to state that measles eradication is important. PHC physicians with high perceived MMR vaccine efficacy were 3.39 times more likely to state that measles eradication is important. Conclusion: PHC physicians play a critical role in shaping the battle against measles in India. Their high levels of support for measles eradication can be used to leverage political willpower in achieving measles eradication. Barriers to support must be addressed in order to maximize eradication's success.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction (1)

Chapter 2: Global Efforts in Measles Control and Eradication (5)

2.1 Measles and worldwide burden of disease (5)

2.2 Why should measles be eradicated? (8)

2.3 Global efforts towards eradication (16)

2.4 Challenges to measles eradication (20)

2.5 WHO regional goals and progress (25)

2.6 WHO South East Asia and India - Why is it so far behind? (27)

2.7 PHC provider role (31)

Chapter 3: Manuscript (33)

Chapter 4: Conclusion and Recommendations (47)

References (50)

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