Keywords
hesitancy
malaria
care givers
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction :
In April 2022, Niger adopted the WHO recommendation on the introduction of malaria vaccine in children under five years of age. The objective of this study was to determine the reasons that may justify the rejection of the malaria vaccine by health care providers.
Method :
This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from June 28 to August 15, 2022. Caregivers consenting to the study and working in the public and private health services of the city of Niamey were included. The data were collected anonymously, captured and analyzed by the Epi-info 7.2.2.6 software.
Results :
A total of 229 healthcare professionals agreed to participate in this study. Overall, 77.73% of respondents said they were confident that they would vaccinate their children against malaria. On the other hand, 4.8% of respondents said they were not going to vaccinate their child and 17.47% were undecided. The reasons given to justify the negative opinions about the malaria vaccine were mostly personal, including religion (21.56%) and especially doubt about the safety of the new vaccine (35.49%).
Conclusion :
The main reasons for rejection of the malaria vaccine by health workers were related to personal considerations and fear of side effects. This work reveals the need to intensify and improve the quality of vaccination education programs for health professionals.
References
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