Monkeypox Vaccine Hesitancy Among Healthcare Workers in Pakistan

Objective: This study aimed to investigate healthcare workers (HCWs) acceptance of the HMPXV vaccine in Pakistan and identify influencing factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 4257 HCWs assessed vaccine acceptance across demographics, ethnicity, marital status, specialty, medical conditions, and education. Logistic regression identified predictors of acceptance.

Results: The overall HMPXV vaccine acceptance among HCWs was 73.1%. The gender distribution shows that a majority of participants are female (56.60%) while males constitute 43.40% of the sample. Interestingly, vaccine acceptance is higher among females (68.43%) compared to males (31.57%). Ethnicity in the sample reveals that Punjabi participants are the most common at 45.25%, followed by Pashtun (26.06%), Sindhi (14.41%), Balochi (12.72%), and Other (1.46%). Age categories are compared to the 18-30 age group. The odds of vaccine acceptance are lower for individuals aged 31-40 (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.19-1.25) and for those over 60 (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.41-0.97). Conversely, the odds are higher for those aged 41-50 (OR 1.93, 95% CI 0.27-3.01) and 51-60 (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.19-1.67). Gender comparison reveals that females have higher odds of vaccine acceptance (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.21-1.24) than males. Among ethnicities, Sindhi participants (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.23-1.88) have slightly higher odds of vaccine acceptance than Punjabi participants. Marital status doesn't significantly influence vaccine acceptance, but married individuals have slightly higher odds (OR 1.75, 95% CI 0.87-5.06). In terms of specialty, Surgery/Allied professionals have lower odds of vaccine acceptance (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.13-1.70) compared to Medicine/Allied professionals.

Conclusion: Strategies addressing demographic disparities and countering misinformation are crucial for enhancing HMPXV vaccine uptake among HCWs. Targeted interventions are necessary for effective vaccination coverage in healthcare settings.