Al Shanbari Nasser, Aldajani Asayel, Almowallad Fatoon, Sodagar Wafa, Almaghrabi Hatim, Almuntashiri Nada S, Alshareef May, ALzubaidi Faisal M, Shatla Mokhtar
Department of Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, SAU.
Department of Community Medicine and Healthcare of Pilgrims, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, SAU.
Cureus. 2024 Feb 4;16(2):e53572. doi: 10.7759/cureus.53572. eCollection 2024 Feb.
Background Herpes zoster (HZ) is a viral infection resulting from the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus. The vaccination was proven to prevent herpes zoster and its complications for individuals over the age of 50 since they are more susceptible to herpes zoster infection. Therefore, it is essential to understand and acknowledge the herpes zoster infection and vaccine. This study aims to assess the level of knowledge and attitude towards herpes zoster and its vaccination among individuals at risk in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2023 and June 2023 among the general population in Saudi Arabia, using a self-administered online questionnaire adapted from a previous study after translating it into Arabic. Results A total of 1883 participants were included in this study, almost equally distributed across the five regions of Saudi Arabia. Females represented 62.4% (n=1175), and 56% (n=1062) of participants reported a positive history of chickenpox, while 3.6% (n=67) reported a history of herpes zoster. Furthermore, 78.9% (n=1486) have heard of herpes zoster, while 68.8% (n=1296) have at least one of the herpes zoster risk factors. Only 7.8% (n=147) had high knowledge about HZ, and only 3.1% (n=58) had adequate knowledge regarding the HZ vaccine. Conclusion Our study findings show that the general population of Saudi Arabia has inadequate knowledge about herpes zoster and its vaccine. For that reason, awareness and education programs targeting individuals at high risk of herpes zoster are required to enhance awareness and knowledge about herpes zoster and to improve their attitudes toward the herpes zoster vaccination.
带状疱疹（HZ）是由水痘-带状疱疹病毒再激活引起的病毒感染。疫苗接种已被证明可预防50岁以上人群的带状疱疹及其并发症，因为他们更容易感染带状疱疹。因此，了解和认识带状疱疹感染及疫苗至关重要。本研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯有风险人群对带状疱疹及其疫苗接种的知识水平和态度。
2023年2月至2023年6月期间，在沙特阿拉伯普通人群中进行了一项横断面研究，使用了一份自填式在线问卷，该问卷是在将之前的研究翻译成阿拉伯语后改编而成的。
本研究共纳入1883名参与者，几乎平均分布在沙特阿拉伯的五个地区。女性占62.4%（n = 1175），56%（n = 1062）的参与者报告有水痘病史，而3.6%（n = 67）报告有带状疱疹病史。此外，78.9%（n = 1486）听说过带状疱疹，68.8%（n = 1296）至少有一项带状疱疹风险因素。只有7.8%（n = 147）对HZ有高知识水平，只有3.1%（n = 58）对HZ疫苗有足够的知识。
我们的研究结果表明，沙特阿拉伯的普通人群对带状疱疹及其疫苗了解不足。因此，需要针对带状疱疹高危人群开展提高认识和教育项目，以增强对带状疱疹的认识和知识，并改善他们对带状疱疹疫苗接种的态度。
