Ajman Fadi, Alenezi Shuliweeh, Alhasan Khalid, Saddik Basema, Alhaboob Ali, Altawil Esraa S, Alshahrani Fatimah, Alrabiaah Abdulkarim, Alaraj Ali, Alkriadees Khaled, Alshamlani Yousef, Alharbi Homood, Jamal Amr, Halwani Rabih, AlZamil Fahad, Al-Subaie Sarah, Barry Mazin, Memish Ziad A, Al-Tawfiq Jaffar A, Temsah Mohamad-Hani
College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia.
Critical Care Department, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia.
Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Aug 28;10(9):1408. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10091408.
Monkeypox virus re-surged in May 2022 as a new potential global health threat, with outbreaks bursting in multiple countries across different continents. This study was conducted in Saudi Arabia during the first month following the WHO announcement of the Monkeypox outbreak, to assess healthcare workers (HCWs) perceptions of, worries concerning, and vaccine acceptance for, Monkeypox, in light of the resolving COVID-19 pandemic. A national cross-sectional survey was conducted between 27 May and 10 June 2022, in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected on: HCWs' sociodemographic and job-related characteristics; COVID-19 infection status; and worries concerning Monkeypox, compared to COVID-19 and its sources; as well as their perceptions and awareness of, and advocacy for, supporting Monkeypox vaccination. A total of 1130 HCWs completed the survey, of which 41.6% have already developed COVID-19. However, 56.5% were more concerned about COVID-19 compared to Monkeypox, while the rest were more worried about Monkeypox disease. The main cause for concern among 68.8% of the participants was the development of another worldwide pandemic, post-COVID-19, followed by their concern of either themselves or their families contracting the infection (49.6%). Most HCWs (60%) rated their level of self-awareness of Monkeypox disease as moderate to high. Males, and those who had previously developed COVID-19, were significantly less likely to worry about Monkeypox. The worry about Monkeypox developing into a pandemic, and the perception of Monkeypox being a severe disease, correlated significantly positively with the odds of high worry concerning the disease. The major predictors of participants' advocacy for vaccination against Monkeypox disease were: those who had developed COVID-19 previously; and those who supported tighter infection control measures (than those currently used) to combat the disease. A total of 74.2% of the surveyed HCWs perceived that they needed to read more about Monkeypox disease. Approximately half of the HCWs in this study were more concerned about Monkeypox disease than COVID-19, particularly regarding its possible progression into a new pandemic, during the first month following the WHO's Monkeypox international alert. In addition, the majority of participants were in favor of applying tighter infection prevention measures to combat the disease. The current study highlights areas requiring attention for healthcare administrators regarding HCWs' perceptions and preparedness for Monkeypox, especially in the event of a local or international pandemic.
猴痘病毒于2022年5月再次出现，成为一种新的潜在全球健康威胁，在不同大陆的多个国家爆发疫情。这项研究是在世界卫生组织宣布猴痘疫情后的第一个月内在沙特阿拉伯进行的，旨在评估医护人员对猴痘的看法、担忧以及对猴痘疫苗的接受程度，同时考虑到正在缓解的新冠疫情。2022年5月27日至6月10日在沙特阿拉伯进行了一项全国性横断面调查。收集了以下数据：医护人员的社会人口统计学和工作相关特征；新冠病毒感染状况；与新冠病毒及其来源相比，对猴痘的担忧；以及他们对支持猴痘疫苗接种的看法、认识和倡导。共有1130名医护人员完成了调查，其中41.6%的人已经感染过新冠病毒。然而，56.5%的人更担心新冠病毒而非猴痘，其余的人则更担心猴痘疾病。68.8%的参与者主要担心的是在新冠疫情之后出现另一场全球大流行，其次是担心自己或家人感染（49.6%）。大多数医护人员（60%）将他们对猴痘疾病的自我认知水平评为中等至高。男性以及那些先前感染过新冠病毒的人担心猴痘的可能性显著降低。对猴痘演变成大流行的担忧以及对猴痘是一种严重疾病的认知，与对该疾病高度担忧的几率显著正相关。参与者倡导接种猴痘疫苗的主要预测因素是：那些先前感染过新冠病毒的人；以及那些支持采取比目前更严格的感染控制措施来对抗该疾病的人。共有74.2%的接受调查的医护人员认为他们需要更多地了解猴痘疾病。在世界卫生组织发布猴痘国际警报后的第一个月里，本研究中约一半的医护人员比担心新冠病毒更担心猴痘疾病，特别是担心其可能演变成一场新的大流行。此外，大多数参与者赞成采取更严格的感染预防措施来对抗该疾病。本研究突出了医疗管理人员需要关注的领域，即医护人员对猴痘的看法和应对准备，特别是在发生本地或国际大流行的情况下。
