Willingness to accept malaria vaccine among caregivers of under-5 children in Southwest Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Malaria is widespread in Ethiopia and has been a major cause of illness and death in that country. Therefore, Ethiopia has been exerting enormous efforts towards eliminating malaria by 2030. In the context of comprehensive malaria control, the malaria vaccine is used for the prevention of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children living in regions with moderate- to-high malaria transmission. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among caregivers of children under the age of five throughout the months of September 2021. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was designed for data collection, and binary logistic regression analysis was used. The final result of the association was determined based on an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at a 95% confidence interval (CI) level, and p < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results A total of 406 caregivers of children under the age of 5 were interviewed. Overall, 131 (32.3%) respondents were willing to vaccinate their children. Marital status (AOR = 1.243; 95% CI 1.021–3.897), knowledge (AOR = 3.120; 95% CI 1.689–5.027), and previous experience with childhood vaccination (AOR = 2.673; 95% CI 1.759–4.101) were found to be significantly associated with willingness to accept a malaria vaccine for their children, at p < 0.05. Conclusions and recommendations The willingness to accept a malaria vaccine for children among caregivers of children under the age of five was low in the study area. Thus, health education and communication are crucial for alleviating poor knowledge about malaria vaccines.

Perception and awareness towards malaria vaccine policy implementation in Nigeria by health policy actors

“…Interventions with no cost have been shown to be more successful in achieving coverage. Studies on the willingness to pay for malaria vaccines show that target populations have reduced willingness to pay for the vaccine, and acceptance would be higher if it is provided for free [ 27 , 35 ].…”

“…Although this study suggests that the Nigerian population will be accepting of receiving the malaria vaccine, there are a number of factors associated with the acceptance of the vaccine, such as cultural practices, efficacy, beliefs and the existence of adverse impacts of the vaccine [ 36 – 38 ]. Asmare showed that mothers may not be willing to vaccinate their children against malaria since they believe that the vaccine may harm their children, it may be expensive and their husbands will not allow their children to be vaccinated [ 35 ]. It is, therefore, important to increase knowledge through the education and support of the populace in accepting and increasing awareness of the potential benefits and adverse impacts of being vaccinated against malaria.…”

Perception and Awareness Towards Malaria Vaccine Policy Implementation in Nigeria by Health Policy Actors

“…The interventions with no cost have been shown to be more successful in attaining coverage. The studies on the willingness to pay for malaria vaccine showed that target populations have reduced willingness to pay for the vaccine and the acceptance would be higher if it is provided for free [27,35].…”

“…Although this study is suggesting that Nigerian population will be accepting to receive malaria vaccine, there are a number of factors associated with the acceptance of the vaccine, such as cultural practices, e cacy, beliefs and the existence of any adverse impact of the vaccine. Asmare showed that mothers may not be willing to vaccinate their children against malaria, since they have thoughts that the vaccine may harm their children, it may be expensive and their husbands will not allow their children to be vaccinated [35]. It is, therefore, important to build a knowledge by education and support of the populace in accepting and having awareness on the potential bene ts and adverse impacts of being vaccinated against malaria.…”

Structural insights into acetylated histone ligand recognition by the BDP1 bromodomain of Plasmodium falciparum

“…While the development of a vaccine to prevent this deadly disease shows great promise, human mortality is still predicted to increase [ 30 , 31 ]. This is due in part to low vaccination rates in young children, and also due to evolutionary processes that drive parasite resistance against the currently available antimalarial drugs [ 32 ]. Thus, new therapeutics will continually be needed to treat infected patients.…”