Willingness to Pay for Childhood Malaria Vaccine Among Caregivers of Under-Five Children in Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Malaria, a protozoan disease caused by the genus Plasmodium, is responsible for serious illnesses and death across the world. RTS, S/AS01 (Mosquirix™) is a recombinant protein-based malaria vaccine valuable for the prevention and control of the disease. However, studies done so far on the willingness to pay (WTP) malaria vaccine have been inadequate to inform policy-makers. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the WTP for childhood malaria vaccine and associated factors among caregivers of under-five children from February to April 2019 in West Dembia district. A multistage stratified systematic sampling technique was used, and the contingent valuation method was used to estimate caregivers' willingness to pay for the vaccine. AOR with 95% CI and less than 0.05 p-values were used to declare factors associated with WTP. Results: Overall, 60.6% (95% CI: 56.60, 64.40%) of caregivers of under-five children were WTP for the childhood malaria vaccine at a price of US$ 23.11 per full doses. Urban residence (AOR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.04, 3.04), educational status (AOR=3.27; 95% CI: 1.07, 9.94) and vaccination experience for children (AOR= 2.12; 95% CI: 1.29, 3.48) were positively associated with the WTP. WTP for the vaccine was higher among rich households (AOR=3.15; 95% CI: 1.90, 5.22), caregivers who had the previous history of malaria attack (AOR=2.62; 95% CI: 1.68, 4.08), households with fewer members (AOR=1.59; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.40), and families more knowledgeable about malaria prevention and control (AOR=3.56; 95% CI: 1.83, 6.93) compared with their counterparts. Conclusion: The majority of the participants were WTP for the childhood malaria vaccine. A significant rise in willingness to purchase was observed at price below the profile price. Thus, it is of great value to policy-makers to understand the price sensitivity before setting the price of the vaccine.

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

“…Caregivers of the child under the age of five who had previous experience with childhood vaccination were 2.7 times more likely to have willingness to vaccinate their child compared to those who had no previous experience. The finding was consistent with a study done in Ibadan Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Vietnam [ 22 , 26 , and 40 ]. The possible reasons might be that caregivers who had previous experience might have adequate information about the advantage and side effect of the vaccine to prevent vaccine preventable diseases.…”

“…This could have been borne out of the fact that vaccines for child immunization in the country are currently free. However, findings of research conducted in Ethiopia [ 22 ], 60.6% of caregivers of under-five children were willing to pay for the childhood malaria vaccine for US$ 23.11 per full dose.…”

“…The fourth dose is given 15–18 months after the third dose. This new vaccine would require two additional immunization contacts to align with the current expanded programme of immunization in Ethiopia [ 22 ].…”

Awareness of the Malaria Vaccine in India

“…Several studies have assessed the awareness of the malaria vaccine, willingness to vaccinate, acceptance of the malaria vaccine, and other parameters in several African countries such as Nigeria [ 14 , 15 ], Tanzania [ 16 ], Ghana [ 17 ], and Ethiopia [ 18 ]. They have reported high awareness status and high prospects for pediatric immunization of malaria.…”

Mosquirix™ RTS, S/AS01 Vaccine Development, Immunogenicity, and Efficacy

“…The majority of the participants in the study were willing to pay for malaria vaccinations for children at significantly less than the profile cost. Therefore, it helps policy makers to be aware of the price issue before specifying the price of the vaccine [ 59 ]…”