Risk perception and hesitancy towards malaria vaccines among hospital pharmacists in southeast Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the willingness and perceived concerns of hospital pharmacists in allowing and recommending malaria vaccines. This was a cross-sectional-based study. Participants were recruited from two teaching hospitals in southeast Nigeria – the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNTH) and the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH). Outcomes were acceptability of the malaria vaccine and concerns about the use of malaria vaccine measured using a validated 21-item questionnaire adapted from a similar study. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise and compare data, with chi-test to test the association between variables. A sub-group analysis within the acceptability was done to determine the predictors of ‘probably’ by also dichotomizing the responses. Data were analysed using STATA v17. Out of 250 participants recruited for this study, 187 completed and returned the questionnaire, with UNTH having the highest response rate (n = 137, 73.3%). Ninety-two (54.1%) out of 170 participants agreed that they would allow their children to take the malaria vaccine. Sixty-six (50.4%) out of 131 and 30 (62.5%) out of 48 participants from UNTH and ESUTH, respectively, will likely recommend the vaccine to family members, while 64 (49.6%) out of 129 and 31 (64.6%) out of 48 participants from UNTH and ESUTH, respectively, were likely to recommend the vaccine to their patients. Eighty-three (61.9%) out of 134 and 33 (67.3%) out of 49 participants from UNTH and ESUTH, respectively, had concerns about the adverse effects of taking this vaccine. Education level (p = 0.017) and age (p = 0.014) were significantly associated with the likelihood of recommending this vaccine to patients. Our findings showed that pharmacists are not likely to accept and recommend malaria vaccines to their children and patients. Hospital pharmacists’ demographic characteristics did not predict their acceptability or probability of allowing the malaria vaccine to be administered to their children. Similar findings were also observed for hesitancy towards malaria vaccines. There were concerns about the failure of the vaccine and its adverse effects.