Study on the Vaccination of the Population of Romania against Monkeypox in Terms of Medical Security

Abstract

Although it has been shown in numerous studies that immunization of the population by vaccination is the most effective way to protect against smallpox or other polioviruses, the anti-vaccination public rhetoric recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to influence the populations acceptance of vaccination against newly emerging viruses. This fact influenced our decision to study the vaccination of the Romanian population against the virus that causes monkeypox, aiming to identify the degree of compliance regarding the decision related to vaccination acceptance/non-acceptance/hesitation, based on the survey of a representative sample of respondents. The study is based on an online questionnaire completed between 1 July and 31 July 2022 by 820 individuals, aged 18 years or above, with a permanent residency in Romania. The study was undertaken in order to observe the attitudes of the respondents regarding the acceptance, refusal, or hesitation of vaccination against monkeypox. The sociological data resulting from the application of the questionnaire on 820 people highlighted that 97.16% were vaccinated with the vaccines of the national mandatory scheme and 53.32% were vaccinated with the optional vaccines (rotavirus vaccine, anti-hepatitis A, meningococcal vaccine, etc.). Although 47.13% of respondents considered monkeypox to be a real problem facing humanity today, only 26.37% of those surveyed expressed their fear of becoming infected, and 29.30% were willing to immunize themselves against the virus by vaccination. Only 19.59% of respondents believed that the monkeypox disease will generate a new global pandemic, while 31.86% considered pandemics to be a human security issue, and 30.28% expressed their desire to accept a reduction in some rights and freedoms, in the short term, for the adoption of institutional measures to combat a possible pandemic caused by monkeypox. The study clearly highlights the fact that monkeypox is perceived as a threat to the health of the population, with relatively low acceptance of conspiracy theories regarding its origins/manifestation/consequences among respondents (between 21.7% and 28.9%). The vaccination of the population against monkeypox is strongly influenced by the validity of the results obtained over time, in the vaccination campaigns against the smallpox virus (vaccine found in the mandatory vaccination scheme in Romania until 1979). We believe that the negative public rhetoric regarding the COVID-19 vaccination is likely to negatively influence monkeypox vaccination. Although specialized studies and practical results showed that the immunization of the population through vaccination represents an important vector in the prevention/management of pandemic-type issues, we believe that a national pro-vaccination campaign, based on scientific evidence, can lead the population to accept vaccination when the epidemiological context requires it. We also believe that a culture of health security needs to be developed among citizens to raise awareness of the role of vaccines as an important vector in the field of population health.

Keywords: acceptance; hesitation; human safety; monkeypox; romania; vaccine.

Figure 1

Correlation between fear of the monkeypox disease and the participants’ decision to vaccinate against the disease. * For a correlation to be very strong, the correlation coefficient must be as close as possible to 1, and sig. as close as possible to 0.

Figure 2

Correlation between fear of the monkeypox disease and the participants’ decision not to vaccinate against the disease. * For a correlation to be very strong, the correlation coefficient must be as close as possible to 1, and sig. as close as possible to 0.

Figure 3

Correlation between participants’ vaccination against COVID-19 and their decision to vaccinate against monkeypox. * For a correlation to be very strong, the correlation coefficient must be as close as possible to 1, and sig. as close as possible to 0.

Figure 4

Correlation between participants’ trust in “fake news” information and their decision not to vaccinate against monkeypox. * For a correlation to be very strong, the correlation coefficient must be as close as possible to 1, and sig. as close as possible to 0.