Assessment of risk perception and subjective norms related to Mpox (monkeypox) among adult males in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Monkeypox (Mpox) has become a concern worldwide after spreading into nonendemic countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this a public health emergency of international concern and recommended to get vaccinated first who are at the highest risk. Risk perception and subjective norms can influence the decision of vaccine uptake. Therefore, we intended to perform a cross-sectional study on the male population in our country to assess their risk perception and subjective norms on Mpox. Methods: We measured participants' risk perception and subjective norms using Google form. Demographic profile of participants was obtained using a structured questionnaire. We performed a χ 2 test to compare the levels of risk perception and subjective norm perception and multiple logistic regression analysis to determine the association between the study parameters and the sociodemographic profile of the participants. Results: Among the participants, 93 (23.72%), 288 (73.47%), and 11 (2.81%) had high, medium, and low-risk perceptions, respectively. For subjective norms, we observed 288 (58.16%) participants had a medium, 117 (29.85%) had high, and 47 (11.99%) had low levels of subjective norms, respectively. Most participants possessed medium risk perception (73.47%) and subjective norms (58.16%). Moreover, we observed that moderate risk perception was prevalent in people with body mass index (BMI) level between 18.5 and 25 (73.3%), married (63.5%), low economic background (94.1%), living with a family (77.1%), smokers (68.4%), heterosexuals (99%), people with no/little impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on life (91%). Proportions of people with moderate subjective norms BMI level of 18.5-25 (73.2%), married (60.5%), low economic status (93.9%), rural (58.8%), living with family (77.2%), nonsmokers (71.1%), and people with no/little impact of Covid-19 in their lives (91.2%). Conclusion: The majority of participants perceived medium risk perception and subjective norms related to Mpox. Furthermore, we observed a significant association between the study parameters and the sociodemographic characteristics of our study participants. We recommend that further longitudinal studies to yield more accurate results.

Assessment of vaccine perception and vaccination intention of Mpox infection among the adult males in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study findings.

BACKGROUND: Mpox (monkeypox) infection has become a global concern for healthcare authorities after spreading in multiple non-endemic countries. Following the sudden multi-country outbreak of Mpox, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern. We do not have any vaccines approved for the prevention of Mpox infection. Therefore, international healthcare authorities endorsed smallpox vaccines for the prevention of Mpox disease. Here we intended to perform this cross-sectional study among the adult males in Bangladesh to assess the Mpox vaccine perception and vaccination intention. METHODS: We conducted this web-based survey among the adult males in Bangladesh from September 1, 2022, to November 30, 2022, using Google Forms. We assessed the Mpox vaccine perception and vaccination intention. We performed a chi-square test to compare vaccine perception and vaccination intention levels. Also, we performed multiple logistic regression analyses to determine the association between the study parameters and the sociodemographic profile of the participants. RESULTS: According to the present study, the Mpox vaccine perception was high among 60.54% of the respondents. Also, 60.05% of respondents showed medium vaccination intention. Mpox vaccine perception and vaccination intention were strongly associated with the sociodemographic profiles of the participants. Furthermore, we discovered a significant association between the level of education and vaccination intention among the respondents. Also, age and marital status played a role in the Mpox vaccine perception and vaccination intention. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed a significant association between sociodemographic characteristics and the Mpox vaccine perception/vaccination intention. Along with the country's long experience in mass immunization, campaigns about Covid-19 vaccines and high vaccination rates might play a role in Mpox vaccine perception and vaccination intention. We recommend more social awareness and educational communications or seminars for the target population to bring more positive changes in their attitude towards Mpox prevention.

COVID-19 vaccination success in Bangladesh: Key strategies were prompt response, early drives for vaccines, and effective awareness campaigns.

Bangladesh is located in Southeast Asia that has a high population density. It is a lower-middle-income country. The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the nation that slowed its economic growth. It halted major industries, crippling the nation's economy. The students were uncertain after the declaration of school closures. Hospitals could not treat other patients properly due to the vast health burden of COVID-19. Bangladesh put up a solid fight during COVID-19 as a lower-middle-income country. Prompt action, early vaccination drives, effective awareness campaigns, and widespread public involvement have enabled Bangladesh to bring more than 90% of its population into COVID-19 vaccination coverage. It was possible by the effective diplomatic and local health strategy implemented by the Bangladeshi government, the country's extensive prior experience, and its long history of achieving a high success rate in other vaccination campaigns. Bangladesh was able to flatten the curve sooner than other developed countries. Therefore, the cogs of everyday social life and the economy begin to turn once more. The strategy Bangladesh used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccination and diplomatic policy by calling on its prior experience has the potential to serve as a model for other low- and middle-income countries and an example for developed nations.

Comparative Performance Evaluation of Personal Protective Measures and Antiviral Agents Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants: A Narrative Review.

Scientists identified SARS-CoV-2 in December 2019 in Wuhan city of China. Soon after its identification, Covid-19 spreads almost everywhere. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Covid-19 outbreak as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Countries are facing multiple waves due to the different variants of the coronavirus. Personal preventive measures, vaccines, and antiviral drugs are the approaches to control Covid-19. However, these approaches are being implemented in different countries at different levels because of the availability of personal protective measures and antiviral agents. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of practicing measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Here we searched relevant literature from PubMed and Scopus using the keywords such as personal protective measures, antiviral agents, and vaccine effectiveness. According to the present findings, protective measures were found comparatively less effective. Nevertheless, these measures can be used to limit the spreading of Covid-19. Antiviral agents can reduce the hospitalization rate and are more effective than personal protective measures. The most effective strategy against Covid-19 is early vaccination or multiple vaccination dose. The respective authorities should ensure equal distribution of vaccines, free availability of antiviral drugs, and personal protective measure in poor and developing countries. We recommend more studies to describe the effectiveness of practicing preventive measures and antiviral agents against recent variants of the coronavirus.

A Brief Report on Monkeypox Outbreak 2022: Historical Perspective and Disease Pathogenesis.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). It was an epidemic infection among African countries over the last few decades. In 2022, MPXV has been broke through in Africa, America, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific region. This widespread infection of MPXV has created panic across the nations, and the WHO has declared a global public health emergency due to the multi-country MPX outbreak. We prepared this brief report on the MPX outbreak 2022 by extracting data from Scopus, PubMed, and website databases. We manually read all the relevant articles from our target databases. The rapid spread of MPX infection in around a 100 countries has threatened the global healthcare systems. The available epidemiological data revealed that sexual orientations and encounters are potential contributing factors for monkeypox infections. However, it has not been categorized as a sexually transmitted infection. Also, MPXV can transfer from 1 individual to others in many ways. The empowerment of this old foe has created additional pressure and threat on the healthcare authorities during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Effective preventive measures, social awareness, and therapeutic approaches can reduce this extra burden on the healthcare system across the countries. Focusing only on sexual orientations and encounters as risk factors for MPX infection might increase stigma that will be another barrier to controlling and preventing MPXV spread. Therefore, we should be careful in delivering messages about MPX infection to the general population. Also, we recommend repositioning the existing smallpox vaccines and antivirals in MPX infection until the development of specific antiviral agents against this infection.