<abstract><sec> <title>Background</title> <p>Despite the government's and development partners' unmatched efforts to ensure that every eligible person receives vaccinations, there have been concerns about vaccine fear, government mistrust, vaccine hesitancy and rejection expressed by the public, as well as various conspiracy theories involving the COVID-19 vaccines. This study assessed the public beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines and related factors among residents of Ondo State, Nigeria.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Methods</title> <p>Using a convenience sample technique, a cross-sectional survey of the adult population was carried out in the months of February and March of 2022. Factors influencing beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines were found by using univariate and multivariate statistical analysis.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Results</title> <p>306 out of 323 respondents completed the survey and were included in the final analysis. The respondents mean age was 28.16 ± 16.2 years. Although <italic>n</italic> = 223, 72.9% of respondents reported to have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, (<italic>n</italic> = 205) 67.0% believed COVID-19 vaccines to be effective. Among the individuals who had not yet had any COVID-19 vaccinations, 2.6% (<italic>n</italic> = 8) of respondents were willing to accept the vaccines, whereas 14.1% (<italic>n</italic> = 43) were unwilling. Respondents' beliefs about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines were influenced by their gender, occupation, religion and educational attainment (p < 0.005).</p> </sec><sec> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>The study revealed a good level of positive beliefs about the vaccine, which was mirrored in vaccination history. However, those who had not yet received the vaccine were unwilling to do so, opening the door for more aggressive risk communication to be able to alter the course of events. In addition to addressing additional COVID-19 vaccination myths, we advise policy-makers to develop communication strategies that emphasise the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. It is advised that all relevant stakeholders be included in government COVID-19 vaccination programmes by sharing timely, transparent information that fosters accountability.</p> </sec></abstract>
COVID-19, a viral disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread rapidly over multiple countries in all the continents of the world since the fi rst localized outbreak in China in December, 2019 with a resultant considerable impact on global morbidity and mortality [1]. Currently, Nigeria ranked second among the countries within the African region with ongoing transmission of COVID-19 disease [2]. As at July 31 st , 2020, Nigeria has recorded a total of 43, 151 confi rmed cases and 879 deaths in all 36 states and Federal Capital Territory since the fi rst case was confi rmed in the country on February 27, 2020 [3]. The COVID-19 outbreak which has been declared as a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) is exponentially sweeping across the world and triggering chaos, fear, anxiety and stress in countries [4-7]. The pandemic has disrupted daily routine lifestyles and business, stock market and global educational system. Similarly, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria have resulted in economic lockdown of major cities, total shutdown of the educational system across the country and economic and physical hardship among the populace [4,8].
Background:The last case of the indigenous Wild Polio Virus in Ondo state was in 2008, and the last Polio compatible case was in 2010. Poliovirus transmission was interrupted through the adherence to the World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines, which included acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance. We wanted to describe the state's AFP surveillance performance during the last five years, from 2016 to 2020, using WHO-recommended indicators and find areas where it could improve. Methods:Between January 2016 and December 2020, AFP case-based surveillance data was used to undertake a retrospective review of records. Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis, and Quantum Geographic Information System was used for mapping (GIS). Results: From 2016 to 2020, a total of 1,096 AFP cases were reported, none of which were confirmed as Poliomyelitis. The majority of the cases (77.2 percent) were found in children under the age of five. Males made up more than half of the cases (53.4%). More than 89 percent of reported cases received three or more OPV doses. Between 2016 and 2020, there was a 79 percent decline in reported cases. Between 2016 and 2020, the average Non-Polio AFP rate was 11.2 per 100,000, with a stool adequacy of 98.4%. Conclusion:AFP surveillance in Ondo state met the minimum WHO targets during the study period, according to the findings. However, because of the possibility of poliovirus being imported from endemic countries, which might threaten Nigeria's polio-free status, the sensitization of all surveillance actors and active case search should be strengthened, particularly in underperforming local government areas (LGAs).
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