NEONATAL TETANUS IN RURAL AND DISPLACED COMMUNITIES IN THE EAST NILE PROVINCE

A retrospective neonatal tetanus survey was conducted among rural and displaced communities in the East Nile Province in the Sudan, The resu lts showed that neonatal tetanus was a major cause of neonatal mortali ty. The incidence in the displaced community was more than double that in the stable rural community, 7.1 and 3.2 per 1000 live births, resp ectively, Coverage with two doses of tetanus toroid was about 58 per c ent in both areas, with a drop-off rate of 15 per cent, Making use of missed opportunities to vaccinate regular attendants of antenatal care services would have increased coverage in both areas, Wrong beliefs a nd attitudes towards tetanus toroid were detected among schoolgirls an d teachers in the two areas.