Occupational Health and Industrial Medicine Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21561, Egypt.
Department of Environment and Public Health, the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Somanya, Ghana.
Malar J. 2024 May 12;23(1):142. doi: 10.1186/s12936-024-04921-2.
The newly developed malaria vaccine called "R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine" showed a high safety and efficacy level, and Ghana is the first country to approve this new vaccine. The present study aimed to evaluate the rate of vaccine hesitancy (VH) towards the newly developed malaria vaccine among parents who currently have children who are not eligible for the vaccine but may be eligible in the near future. Additionally, the study aimed to identify the factors that could potentially influence VH.
A cross-sectional survey using both online-based questionnaires and face-to-face interviews was conducted in Ghana from June to August 2023. The survey specifically targeted parents of ineligible children for vaccination, including those aged less than 5 months or between 3 and 12 years. The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccination (PACV) scale was used to assess parental VH.
A total of 765 people participated in this study. Their median age was 36.0 years with an interquartile range of 31.0-41.0 years, 67.7% were females, 41.8% completed their tertiary education, 63.3% were married, 81.6% worked in non-healthcare sectors, and 59.7% reported that their monthly income was insufficient. About one-third (34.5%) of the parents were hesitant to give their children the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. The following predictors were associated with VH: working in the healthcare sector (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30-0.80; p = 0.005), having the other parent working in the healthcare sector (AOR = 0.54; 95% CI 0.30-0.94; p = 0.034), and not taking scheduled routine vaccinations (AOR = 1.90; 95% CI 1.27-2.84; p = 0.002).
Addressing VH is crucial for optimizing R21/Matrix-M vaccine coverage in Ghana's malaria control strategy. By tackling VH issues, Ghana can effectively safeguard children's health in malaria-prone areas.
新开发的疟疾疫苗名为“R21/Matrix-M 疟疾疫苗”，具有较高的安全性和有效性水平，加纳是第一个批准该新疫苗的国家。本研究旨在评估目前有不符合疫苗接种条件但在不久的将来可能符合条件的儿童的父母对新开发的疟疾疫苗的疫苗犹豫率（VH），并确定可能影响 VH 的因素。
2023 年 6 月至 8 月，在加纳使用基于在线问卷和面对面访谈的横断面调查。该调查专门针对不符合疫苗接种条件的儿童的父母，包括年龄小于 5 个月或 3 至 12 岁的儿童。使用父母对儿童疫苗接种的态度量表（PACV）评估父母的 VH。
共有 765 人参加了这项研究。他们的中位年龄为 36.0 岁，四分位距为 31.0-41.0 岁，67.7%为女性，41.8%完成了高等教育，63.3%已婚，81.6%在非医疗保健部门工作，59.7%报告月收入不足。约三分之一（34.5%）的父母对给孩子接种 R21/Matrix-M 疟疾疫苗犹豫不决。以下预测因素与 VH 相关：在医疗保健部门工作（调整后的优势比（AOR）=0.50；95%置信区间（CI）0.30-0.80；p=0.005），有在医疗保健部门工作的另一半（AOR=0.54；95%CI 0.30-0.94；p=0.034），以及未接种计划常规疫苗（AOR=1.90；95%CI 1.27-2.84；p=0.002）。
解决 VH 对于优化加纳疟疾控制策略中的 R21/Matrix-M 疫苗接种覆盖率至关重要。通过解决 VH 问题，加纳可以有效地保护疟疾流行地区儿童的健康。
