Belarusian Healthcare Professionals' Views on Monkeypox and Vaccine Hesitancy

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Assesses vaccine hesitancy among Belarusian healthcare professionals (HCPs) regarding mpox.
• Aims to understand vaccination perceptions and willingness to pay for mpox vaccines.
• Crucial for enhancing pandemic preparedness despite low transmission risk in Belarus.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate mpox vaccine acceptance and willingness to pay among Belarusian HCPs.
• To identify factors influencing mpox vaccine perceptions and acceptance.
• To inform targeted interventions for improving vaccine uptake and pandemic preparedness.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey conducted in October 2022 among Belarusian HCPs.
• Self-administered questionnaire distributed via social media using snowball sampling.
• Assessed sociodemographics, mpox knowledge, health belief model perceptions, vaccine acceptance, and willingness to pay.

Main Results:

• Over half of participants (51.4%) willing to receive mpox vaccine if free, safe, and effective.
• Perceived benefits and cues to action significantly influenced mpox vaccine acceptance.
• Observed significant mpox vaccine hesitancy (30.6%) and resistance (18.1%).

Conclusions:

• Significant knowledge gaps exist among Belarusian HCPs regarding mpox vaccines and treatments.
• General awareness of mpox epidemiology and symptoms contrasts with limited vaccine knowledge.
• Targeted interventions are essential to improve mpox knowledge and vaccine acceptance.