Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination Coverage and Pediatric Tuberculosis Trends Among Children Aged 0–5 Years at Buea Regional Hospital, Cameroon: A Retrospective Record Review (2020–2024)
Faith Angakobi Angafuh
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Raymond Babila Nyasa
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Bertrand Myson Palle Sone
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Jane-Francis Akoachere *
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, with sub-Saharan African countries like Cameroon carrying a disproportionate share of the burden. Despite the inclusion of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine in the national immunization program, the persistence of pediatric TB in the Buea Health District raises concerns about immunization coverage and its relationship with disease burden.
Aims: This study assessed the trends in BCG vaccination coverage and TB prevalence in children aged 0–5 years at the Buea Regional Hospital from 2020 to 2024.
Method: It was a hospital-based retrospective study carried out from March to June 2025, which involved the exhaustive extraction of data from TB and vaccination registers of 0-5 years old children, maintained at the Buea Regional Hospital. The data were analyzed using frequency distributions and line graphs in SPSS version 27.
Result: The study reported 6,174 children aged 0–5 years, of whom 5,686 (92.2%) received BCG vaccination. A total of 172 suspected cases of pediatric TB were recorded, with 42 confirmed diagnoses of TB. TB prevalence increased gradually from 0% in 2020 to 0.23% in 2021 and further to 0.76% in 2022, peaking at 1.04% in 2023, followed by a decline to 0.16% in 2024. BCG vaccination coverage dropped progressively from 99.53% coverage in 2020 to 78.92% coverage in 2021 and 50.12% coverage in 2022 but increased to 98.92% coverage in 2023 and later dropped to 77.15% in 2024.
Conclusion: These findings highlight the multi-factorial nature of pediatric TB and the need to strengthen both immunization programs and surveillance systems in high-burden settings.
Keywords: Tuberculosis, BCG vaccination, immunization, pediatric tuberculosis, Cameroon, Sub-Saharan African