Perception and Awareness about Monkeypox and Vaccination Acceptance in an At-Risk Population in Brescia, Italy: An Investigative Survey.
AIDS Behav
; 28(5): 1594-1600, 2024 May.
Article
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| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38240947
ABSTRACT
Before 2022, monkeypox virus (Mpox) infection in humans was seldom reported outside Africa. During the May 2022 outbreak, most cases were detected among men who have sex with men (MSM). Since Mpox is largely unknown to the general population, through a self-completion questionnaire, we investigated the behaviours and knowledge of our at-risk population belonging to the sexually transmitted infection (STI) outpatient clinic of the Infectious Diseases Unit of the ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Italy, between August and October 2022. Most patients that took part in the compilation are HIV positive MSM. The other participants were HIV-seronegative patients with other STIs. Overall, 144 questionnaires were compiled. Most of the participants were Italians (130;90%) and males (139;96.5%) between 30 and 60 years (118;82%). Almost all (136;94%) reported having heard about Mpox and more than half (80;56%) received information about the transmission. Twenty-four respondents (16%) received information from health professionals and 14 (10%) believed that the information received was complete. Although 41% of respondents thought they were at risk of getting the infection and 62% were afraid to get it, the majority (56%) did not increase the precautions taken. When asked if they would accept a vaccine to prevent the disease, more than a third (32%) of respondents expressed hesitation or complete refusal to be vaccinated. Based on our results, what emerges is that there is still a lack of knowledge and awareness about Mpox. To address this issue, targeted health promotion and education strategies that provide the necessary resources to reduce risk behaviours and enhance connections with healthcare professionals are needed.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud
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Vacunación
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Mpox
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article