The Effect of the Application of Topical Shallots on Infant Pain Post-immunization

One of factors that influences the immunization coverage below the global target is immunization adverse events as well as local reactions, such as pain. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of topical shallots and whether they reduce the incidence of immunization adverse events in infants aged 0 - 11 months, especially the level of pain. This study used a quasi-experimental design with a pre-post design. The sample was infants aged 0 - 11 months. The experimental group consisted of 15 participants and the control group consisted of 15 participants. The pain was measured using the NIPS (Neonatal Infant Pain Scale). In this study, the experimental group was given shallots (Allium Cepa L. Var aggregatum) topically before they were rubbed around the area of the injection. The control group was not given any intervention. We measured the pain every day until 3 days post-immunization. The data was analyzed using the Wilcoxon Sign Rank test. The study showed that there were changes in the level of pain in the experimental group on day 1, day 2, and day 3 post-immunization (p < 0.05). There were also changes in the level of pain in the control group on day 1, day 2 and day 3 (p < 0.05). The frequency distribution data showed that no respondents experienced pain in the experimental group, whereas in the control group, there were still two respondents who experienced mild pain. This study recommends using shallots topically, where they are rubbed around the injection area to reduce the local reaction and pain.