Effects of some sociological factors on the outbreak of chickenpox disease

Background: Chickenpox, a seasonal and worldwide viral disease, has been spreading afflicting people of all ages. The illness can be more severe if it occurs in teenagers or adults with weakened system. The National Center for Immunization Research and Surveillance [1] stated that vaccines can mitigate 80-85% cases of chickenpox disease. Rahman et al. [2] stated that the chickenpox infant incidence rate was 302.6 per 100,000 persons in Bangladesh. The chickenpox is a common disease in Bangladesh, but research on this disease is very limited. Objective: This paper highlights the public health implications of chickenpox disease outbreak within developing and developed countries to include a discussion on how a sociological factor such as education level and religious beliefs impact on a public health professional's ability to management the disease. Furthermore, this paper draws strategies from countries in Asia and South Africa which proved successful in mitigating those negative aspects of sociological factors present at local, national, and global levels. Methods: Academic literature was obtained from Pub-Med and Google-Scholar databases concerning the relation between chickenpox disease and sociological factors, outcomes and impact. A Boolean search was used with key words 'effect of religious beliefs on vaccination, 'effect of education level on vaccination, 'why people refuse vaccine?, etc. Reports published in English within the past thirteen years were included.Results: In most studies, infectious disease such as chickenpox outbreak was associated with the sociological factors, particularly education levels and religious affiliation. This study showed some relationship between chickenpox disease outbreak and parents decisions to vaccinate with education levels, as well as religious belief. For example, Helen et al. [3] showed that vaccination among those with less than a college degree was 32.6%, a college degree was 49.4% and above a college degree was 53.9%. Though more difficult to quantify, certain religious beliefs, interpretation of religious doctrines, and methods of preparing vaccines using animal tissue were also found to reduce vaccine acceptance. Conclusion: Sociological factors such as education levels and religious believe affected the outbreak of chickenpox and had an independent influence on parents' intention to vaccinate the children.