Breastfeeding and postimmunisation fever amongst infants receiving Diphtheria- Pertussis-Tetanus vaccine at a tertiary health institution in Ibadan, Nigeria

Objective: To determine the incidence of fever after vaccination with the first dose of diphthe r ia -pe r tus s i s - te tanus (DPT) among exclusively breastfed and non-exclusively breastfed infants in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: A prospective study was conducted on a cohort of 710 infants who received first dose of DPT vaccine at the Immunisation Clinic of a tertiary health institution in Ibadan, between July and October 2011. Based on the feeding pattern in a 24-hour feeding recall by mothers, infants were classified into exclusive and nonexclusive breastfeeding groups. Each of the infant's mothers was provided with a digital thermometer and instructed on how to measure the temperature of her infant. The information about the incidence of fever was obtained by telephone on the third day after vaccination. Results: Only 682 completed the study. The overall rates of exclusive and non-exclusive breastfeeding were 48% and 52%, respectively. Compared with the infants who were non-exclusively breastfed, those who were breastfed exclusively had a risk for fever of 0.675 (95% CI, 0.558-0.817). The place of delivery and the highest level of education were confounders and effect modifiers of the association between breastfeeding and fever. Conclusions: These findings suggest that exclusive breastfeeding is associated with a decreased incidence of fever after immunisation.