Abstract:
Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) remain a significant public health challenge, particularly
in sub-Saharan Africa. The high burden of VPDs in this region necessitates the need for
continued investigation and intervention. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of research on
VPDs in children in sub-Saharan Africa in the last 10 years to capture the current state of research
in the field. This study used a systematic search for articles published between 2013 and 2022 in
the Web of Science Core Collection database and, subsequently, scientometric techniques for data
analyses and interpretation. Annual scientific production of publications on the research of VPDs
in children in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 2013 to 2019 and then gradually declined. South
Africa had the most VPD studies (n = 148; 16.2%), followed by Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, The Gambia,
Malawi, Ethiopia, and the Republic of Congo. The Vaccine journal published the most. The Pan
African Medical Journal was the most frequent destination journal based in Africa. The commonly
studied pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Research productivity
increased exponentially in the pre-COVID era and declined in the past two years, so more VPD
research in this region is needed.
