Vaccine Hesitancy Among Us Travelers

Abstract

Diseases are increasing in prevalence around the world. American travelers are at greater risk of contracting the disease when traveling outside the country to an endemic region. The safety of visitors to mosquito-endemic destinations is more important than ever. Because a vaccine does not exist for prevention or as a prophylactic, tourists are in jeopardy of fatal sicknesses. Thus, if a vaccine existed, it would be important to understand the likelihood of taking such a vaccine. This study sought to identify specific demographic and attitudinal variables that may be the best predictors of the likelihood of getting a Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) vaccine. An online survey of US travelers intending to travel to the Caribbean in the next 3‐5 years was used to gather information related to personal protection motivations, behaviors, and knowledge of CHIKV. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to determine the best predictor of getting a CHIKV vaccine. Results suggested that the best predictor of getting the vaccine was trust. Using scenarios and predicting the use of vaccines in today’s environment are effective ways of determining vaccine support and the likelihood of engaging in this personal protective behavior, should it become commercially available. Such efforts can improve ways to manage, control, and message regarding CHIKV.