Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Oct 12;24(1):2796.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20324-z.

Vaccine hesitancy in context of COVID-19 in East Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis

Melsew Setegn Alie  1 , Gossa Fetene Abebe  2 , Yilkal Negesse  3 , Amanuel Adugna  2 , Desalegn Girma  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Vaccine hesitancy in context of COVID-19 in East Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis

Melsew Setegn Alie et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had a significant impact on human lives, and the development of effective vaccines has been a promising solution to bring an end to the pandemic. However, the success of a vaccination program heavily relies on a significant portion of the population being vaccinated. Recent studies have indicated a rise in vaccine hesitancy over time and inconsistent factors affecting it. This study aimed to synthesis of the pooled prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and associated factors among various communities in East Africa.

Methods: The review encompassed relevant descriptive and observational studies conducted between January 1, 2020, and December 26, 2023. We browsed various databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, African online Journal, cross-references, and Web of Science. After extracted and exported to R the data analysis was performed using R version 4.2. Meta-package were used to estimate the pooled prevalence and factors of vaccine hesitancy. Publication bias was assessed through funnel plots, Egger's test, and trim-and-fill methods.

Results: After carefully screening an initial pool of 53,984 studies, a total of 79 studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of vaccine hesitancy was 40.40% (95% CI: 35.89%; 45.47%, I2: 99.5%). Identified factors influencing vaccine hesitance were female sex, under 40 years old, inadequate prevention practices, relying on web/internet as a source of information, having a negative attitude towards the vaccine, uncertainty about vaccine safety, fear of adverse effects, uncertainty about contracting COVID-19, and belief in conspiracy myths.

Conclusions: Approximately four out of ten individuals in this region express hesitancy towards vaccination. A tailored approach that considers the socio-demographic context could significantly reduce this hesitancy. To achieve high vaccination coverage, a comprehensive strategy is essential, necessitating substantial social, scientific, and health efforts. The success of vaccination campaigns within this population relies on the widespread and consistent implementation of effective interventions.

Registration: Registered in PROSPERO with ID: CRD42024501415.

Keywords: COVID-91; East Africa; Hesitancy; SARS-COV-19; Vaccine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that have no competing interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA based flow chart shows study selection process for systematic review and meta-analysis of COVID-19 Vaccine in East Africa
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Shows forest plot for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in East Africa
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization. WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020. 2020 [cited 2024 January 1]. Available from: https://www.who.int/directorgeneral/speeches/detail/who-director-general....
    1. World Health Organization. WHO Declares Public Health Emergency for Novel Coronavirus. 2020 [cited 2024 January 1]. Available from: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/924596.
    1. Baye, K., COVID-19 prevention measures in Ethiopia: current realities and prospects. Intl Food Policy Res Inst. 2020:141
    1. World health organization. Achieving 70% COVID-19 Immunization Coverage by Mid-2022. 23 December 2021; Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/23-12-2021-achieving-70-covid-19-immunizat.... Cited 07 Aug 2024.
    1. Nery N Jr, et al. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and associated factors according to sex: A population-based survey in Salvador, Brazil. PLoS ONE. 2022;17(1): e0262649. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources