COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among healthcare workers in Yemen.

Background: Acceptability of COVID-19 vaccine by healthcare workers (HCWs) can affect its acceptability by the general population. Aim: To assess COVD-19 vaccine acceptability among HCWs in Sana'a, Yemen. Methods: We conducted a multicentre cross-sectional study among 391 HCWs in Sana'a, Yemen, from January to March 2022. We used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data on the demographics, profession, academic qualifications, and experience of HCWs, as well as their COVID-19 vaccine acceptability or hesitancy. We used univariate and multivariable logistic regression to analyse the association between the independent variables and vaccine hesitancy (P < 0.05). Results: Of the 391 HCWs, only 194 (49.6%) were willing to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. The most frequent reasons for vaccine hesitancy were fear of adverse reactions (77.7%), concerns about unknown effects of the vaccine in the future (73.1%), and uncertainty about the safety of new vaccines (69.5%). Female gender and working in the public sector were independent predictors of vaccine hesitancy among the HCWs. Conclusion: Nearly half of the HCWs in Sana'a, Yemen, were willing to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Female gender and working in the public health sector were independent predictors of vaccine hesitancy. We recommend further studies to compare COVID-19 acceptability among HCWs in the public and private sectors in Yemen.

The Association between Human Leukocyte Antigens and Hypertensive End-Stage Renal Failure among Yemeni Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Many studies have attempted to locate a connection between various genetic factors and the pathogenesis of certain diseases. A number of these have found human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) to be the most significant genetic factors affecting the susceptibility of an individual to a certain disease. The present case-control study aimed to determine the connection between class I and class II HLAs and cases of hypertensive end-stage renal failure (HESRF), as contrasted with healthy controls, in Yemen. METHODS: The study was carried out between March 2013 and March 2014 and included 50 HESRF patients attending the Urology & Nephrology Center at Al-Thawra University Hospital in Sana'a, Yemen, and 50 healthy controls visiting the same centre for kidney donation. Among both patients and controls, HLA class I (A, B and C) and class II (DRB1) genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reactions. RESULTS: There was an association (odds ratio: 4.0) with HLA-A9(24) and HESRF, although this was not statistically significant. A significant protective function was found for the HLA-CW3 and DRB1-8 genes against the development of HESRF. Although HLA-B14 was present in some patients (0.06) and not in the controls, this difference was not statistically significant enough to conclude that HLA-B14 plays a role in the genetic predisposition for end-stage renal disease development. There was a high frequency of HLA-A2, B5, CW6, DRB1-3, DRB1-4 and DRB1-13 in both patients and controls. CONCLUSION: Although no HLAs were found to play a highly significant role in genetic predisposition to HESRF, certain HLA genes could be considered as protective genes against HESRF development.