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. 2024 Jan 28;13(2):124.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens13020124.

Mpox Awareness, Risk Reduction, and Vaccine Acceptance among People with HIV in Washington, DC

Elisabeth W Andersen  1 , Paige Kulie  1 , Amanda D Castel  1 , Jose Lucar  2 , Debra Benator  3 , Alan E Greenberg  1 , Anne Monroe  1 ; DC Cohort Executive Committee
Affiliations

Mpox Awareness, Risk Reduction, and Vaccine Acceptance among People with HIV in Washington, DC

Elisabeth W Andersen et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

People with HIV (PWH) are disproportionally affected by mpox and at risk of severe complications. We assessed mpox knowledge, adoption of preventive behaviors, and vaccination attitudes among PWH enrolled in a longitudinal HIV cohort in Washington, DC, the DC Cohort. We conducted uni- and multivariable analyses comparing participants by vaccination status and HIV risk group, and multinomial regression to identify factors associated with vaccine acceptance. Among 430 PWH, 378 (87.9%) were aware of mpox. Among 373 participants with vaccination status data, 101 (27.1%) were vaccinated, 129 (34.6%) planned to vaccinate, and 143 (38.3%) did not plan to vaccinate. The three vaccination groups differed significantly by age, race, education, HIV risk group, recent STI status, and level of mpox worry (all p < 0.05). A higher proportion of men who have sex with men (MSM) reported limiting their number of sexual partners compared to non-MSM (p < 0.0001). Multinomial regression models comparing vaccinated to unvaccinated PWH found age, education, mode of HIV transmission/gender, and survey period were significantly associated with vaccination status (all p < 0.05). High levels of mpox awareness were observed among this cohort of PWH with more MSM employing risk reduction behaviors and being vaccinated. Ensuring that PWH, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or age, understand the risks of mpox may improve vaccination uptake.

Keywords: HIV; awareness; behavior change; knowledge; mpox; risk reduction; vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mpox Behavior Change by Mode of HIV Transmission.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Predicted Probability of Vaccine Group (with 95% CI) by Age, HIV Mode of Transmission/Gender, Survey Year, and College Education.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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MeSH terms