Perceived Risk of Being Infected With SARS-CoV-2: A Perspective From Indonesia.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the level of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) risk perceptions in Indonesia and characterize predictors of perceptions. METHODS: An online cross-sectional study was conducted. A questionnaire assessed perceived risk and collected independent variables, including sociodemographic data. A multivariable linear regression model was used to characterize the relationship between independent variables and perceived risk. RESULTS: We included 1379 respondents in the final analysis with the mean and median of perceived risk score was 19.21% and 10.0%, respectively. Respondents aged between 21 and 30 years had the highest perceived risk, and those who were unmarried had 4.3% higher perceived risk compared with those who were married. Compared with the lowest monthly income group, those making Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) 6-10 million and more than IDR 10 million a month believed they had 4.2% and 8.8% higher risk, respectively. Citizens who lived in cities and health-care workers also had a higher perceived risk compared with those in the rural areas and non-health-care workers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived risk of COVID-19 in Indonesia is relatively low, and this could hamper the adoption of preventive measures of COVID-19. Efforts to increase the awareness and perceived risk are important to prevent the pandemic from escalating.

Attitude towards Zika among frontline physicians in a dengue-endemic country: A preliminary cross-sectional study in Indonesia.

In dengue-endemic countries such as Indonesia, Zika may be misdiagnosed as dengue, leading to underestimates of Zika disease and less foreknowledge of pregnancy-related complications such as microcephaly. OBJECTIVE: To assess the attitudes of frontline physicians in a dengue-endemic country toward testing for Zika infection among patients with dengue-like illnesses. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among general practitioners (GPs) in Indonesia. The survey assessed their attitude and also collected sociodemographic data, characteristics of their medical education, professional background, and workplace, and exposure to Zika cases. A two-step logistic regression analysis was used to assess possible variables associated with these attitudes. RESULTS: A total of 370 GPs were included in the final analysis of which 70.8% had good attitude. Unadjusted analyses suggested that GPs who were 30 years old or older and those who had medical experience five years or longer had lower odds of having a positive attitude compared to those who aged younger than 30 years and those who had medical experience less than five years, OR: 0.58; 95%CI: 0.37, 0.91 and OR: 0.55; 95%CI: 0.35, 0.86, respectively. No explanatory variable was associated with attitude in the fully adjusted model. CONCLUSION: Our findings point to younger GPs with a shorter medical experience being more likely to consider testing for Zika infection among their patients presenting with dengue-like illnesses. Strategic initiatives may be needed to enhance older or longer-experienced physicians' capacity in diagnosing Zika infection.

Willingness-to-pay for a COVID-19 vaccine and its associated determinants in Indonesia.

How countries, particularly low- and middle-income economies, should pay the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is an important and understudied issue. We undertook an online survey to measure the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a COVID-19 vaccine and its determinants in Indonesia. The WTP was assessed using a simple dichotomous contingent valuation approach and a linear regression model was used to assess its associated determinants. There were 1,359 respondents who completed the survey. In total, 78.3% (1,065) were willing to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine with a mean and median WTP of US$ 57.20 (95%CI: US$ 54.56, US$ 59.85) and US$ 30.94 (95%CI: US$ 30.94, US$ 30.94), respectively. Being a health-care worker, having a high income, and having high perceived risk were associated with higher WTP. These findings suggest that the WTP for a COVID-19 vaccine is relatively high in Indonesia. This WTP information can be used to construct a payment model for a COVID-19 vaccine in the country. Nevertheless, to attain higher vaccine coverage, it may be necessary to partially subsidize the vaccine for those who are less wealthy and to design health promotion materials to increase the perceived risk for COVID-19 in the country.

Acceptance and willingness to pay for a hypothetical vaccine against monkeypox viral infection among frontline physicians: A cross-sectional study in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: A clinical trial is ongoing to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a monkeypox vaccine among healthcare workers (HCWs). The critical question that needs to be addressed is whether HCWs are willing to accept and purchase this vaccine. The objective of this study was to evaluate the acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) for the vaccine among HCWs. METHODS: From May to July 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted among registered general practitioners (GPs) in Indonesia. A contingent valuation method was employed to evaluate the WTP. Besides acceptance and WTP, various explanatory variables were also collected and assessed. A logistic regression and a multivariable linear regression were used to explore the explanatory variables influencing acceptance and WTP, respectively. RESULTS: Among 407 respondents, 391 (96.0%) expressed acceptance of a free vaccination. The mean and median WTP was US$ 37.0(95%CI:US$ 32.76-US$ 41.23) and US$ 17.90(95%CI:US$ 17.90-US$ 17.90), respectively. In an unadjusted analysis, those 30 years old or younger had 2.94 times greater odds of vaccine acceptance compared to those who were older (95%CI: 1.07-8.08). Location of alma mater, type of workplace, length of individual medical experience, and monthly income of GPs were all significantly associated with WTP. CONCLUSION: Although the vast majority of GPs would accept a freely provided vaccine, they were also somewhat price sensitive. This finding indicates that partial subsidy maybe required to achieve high vaccine coverage, particularly among GPs at community health centres or those with a shorter duration of medical practice.

Confidence in managing human monkeypox cases in Asia: A cross-sectional survey among general practitioners in Indonesia.

The current re-emergence of human monkeypox (HMPX) is a global concern for endemic and non-endemic countries, but healthcare workers in some regions, like Asia, have less experience with identifying and treating HMPX cases. This study aimed to assess the confidence and its predictors in HMPX case management among general practitioners (GPs), the frontline doctors in Indonesia, and to explore their perspectives on HMPX. Between May and July 2019, GPs in Indonesia completed an online-based survey. The questionnaire collected information on GPs' confidence, perspective, sociodemographic, workplace and professional characteristics, exposure to HMPX information and knowledge on HMPX. A logistic regression analysis was employed to explore the explanatory variables influencing the confidence and the perspective. We included 395 GPs in our analysis (77.4% out of 510 responses received) of which 10.1% and 34.9% were classified having good confidence using an 80% and 70% cut-off for confidence score, respectively. In the adjusted analysis, receiving information about HMPX during medical training was the only variable significantly associated with good confidence (adjusted odds ratio 2.74, 95% confidence interval 1.57 to 4.78 and p < 0.001). Approximately 73.6% and 77.9% of GPs agreed that HMPX is an important infectious disease and it has potential to detrimentally impact the Indonesian economy, respectively. In addition, 88.8% of GPs suggested that the disease should be incorporated into the National Medical Curriculum of Indonesia. In conclusion, in case of HMPX outbreak, majority of the GPs in Indonesia seem to be less confident in diagnosing and treating cases, using their current knowledge, skills and their workplace facilities. Therefore, a systematic strategy to improve their confidence in managing HMPX is required.

Knowledge of human monkeypox viral infection among general practitioners: a cross-sectional study in Indonesia.

After the first, imported, laboratory-confirmed case of monkeypox in human was reported in Singapore on May 2019, countries in Asia started to strengthen disease surveillance systems. One challenge in preventing monkeypox is a lack of knowledge, particularly among healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of monkeypox among general practitioners (GPs) in Indonesia. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. The survey collected participants' knowledge on a 21-item scale and explanatory variables. A two-step logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the predictors of knowledge of monkeypox. A total of 432 GPs were included; 10.0% and 36.5% of them had a good knowledge using an 80% and 70% cutoff point for knowledge domain, respectively. No explanatory variables were associated with knowledge when using 80% cutoff point. Using the lower cutoff, there was lower knowledge among GPs who graduated from universities located in Sumatra or other islands versus Java (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.53; 95%CI: 0.28-0.97, p = 0.041) and among those were older than 30 years compared to younger GPs (aOR: 0.61; 95%CI: 0.39-0.96, p = 0.033). GPs working in private clinics had less knowledge compared to GPs in community health centers (aOR: 0.55; 95%CI: 0.31-0.99, p = 0.047). In conclusion, knowledge of monkeypox among GPs in Indonesia is relatively low in all groups. Increasing knowledge of monkeypox will be key to improving the capacity of GPs to respond to human monkeypox cases and to report into a disease surveillance system.

Physicians' willingness to be vaccinated with a smallpox vaccine to prevent monkeypox viral infection: A cross-sectional study in Indonesia.

Background: Although there is no licensed vaccine for monkeypox, smallpox vaccine has been shown to be 85% effective in preventing the monkeypox. This study was conducted to assess the willingness of frontline healthcare providers to be vaccinated with smallpox vaccine to prevent monkeypox. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Indonesia. The willingness was assessed under two scenarios: fully subsidized and non-subsidized vaccine. Explanatory variables such as sociodemographic profile, workplace and professional characteristics, and knowledge of monkeypox were collected. A logistic regression assessed the influence of these explanatory variables on participants' willingness. Results: Out of 510 received participants' responses, 407 (79.8%) were analyzed. With a fully subsidized vaccine scenario, 381 (93.6%) of the participants were willing to be vaccinated and in an unadjusted analysis, gender, education, monthly income, and type of workplace were associated with willingness. With a non-subsidized vaccine (i.e. the vaccine price was US$ 17.9), the proportion who were willing to be vaccinated decreased to 71.9%. In adjusted analyses for both scenarios, gender was the only independent predictor for willingness; men were less willing to be vaccinated than women, adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.37; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.16, 0.87 and aOR: 0.42; 95%CI: 0.27, 0.67, respectively for subsidized and non-subsidized scenario. Conclusion: Vaccine price and gender are important factors for physicians' willingness to be vaccinated for smallpox vaccine prevent monkeypox in Indonesia. These findings indicate that achieving high vaccine converge may require partially or fully subsidized vaccines, along with a clear guideline and recommendation from authorities.

Knowledge and attitude towards pregnancy-related issues of Zika virus infection among general practitioners in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes towards pregnancy-related issues of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection among general practitioners (GPs), a frontline healthcare worker group, in Indonesia. METHODS: A cross-sectional, online survey assessing knowledge and attitudes towards ZIKV infection on multiple-item scales was sent to GPs in the Sumatra and Java islands of Indonesia. The associations between independent factors and either knowledge or attitude were assessed with logistic regressions. The correlation and association between knowledge and attitude were estimated. RESULTS: We included 457 (53.7%) out of 850 responses in the analysis. Among these, 304 (66.5%) and 111 (24.2%) respondents had a good knowledge and attitude, respectively. No demographic, workplace, professional development, or experiential characteristics related to ZIKV infection were associated with knowledge. In the multivariate analysis, only contact experience was associated with attitude. There was a significant, positive correlation between knowledge and attitude scores. CONCLUSIONS: Although knowledge of pregnancy-related complications of ZIKV infection is relatively high among GPs in Indonesia, more than 75% of them had a poor attitude towards pregnancy-related issues of Zika. Strategies for enhancing the capacity of GPs to develop positive attitudes and respond to ZIKV infection are needed.

Attitudes towards Zika virus infection among medical doctors in Aceh province, Indonesia.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, a public health emergency of international concern, has recently been confirmed in Indonesia. However, to date, there has been no study to assess how prepared healthcare workers in Indonesia are to confront this emerging infectious disease. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of medical doctors in Indonesia towards ZIKV infection and its associated explanatory variables. A cross-sectional self-administered online survey was conducted from 3 May to 3 June 2016 in Aceh province, Indonesia. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on doctors' attitudes towards ZIKV infection and a range of explanatory variables (basic demographic data, professional characteristics, workplace characteristics and facilities, and medical experience related to ZIKV infection). Associations between attitude and explanatory variables were assessed using multiple-step logistic regression. We received 631 responses, 424 (67.19%) of which were included in the final analysis. Approximately 64% (271) of doctors had a poor attitude towards ZIKV infection. Experience considering ZIKV infection as a differential diagnosis and attendance at a national conference was associated with a good attitude, with odds ratios (OR) of 3.93 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-13.49) and 1.69 (95% CI: 1.03-2.76), respectively. Unexpectedly, doctors who had attended an international conference and those working at places that had molecular diagnostic (polymerase chain reaction based testing) facilities had lower odds of having a good attitude (OR: 0.35 [95% CI: 0.15-0.84] and 0.42 [95% CI: 0.19-0.95], respectively). In conclusion, the attitude towards ZIKV infection is relatively poor among doctors in Aceh. Therefore, strategies for enhancing their capacity to respond to ZIKV infection are needed. The survey concept and tools were well accepted by the participants of this study, suggesting that this rapid assessment could be rolled out across the Indonesian archipelago and elsewhere to identify and regionally differentiate unmet needs of disease and outbreak preparedness.

Increased CTLA-4+ T cells may contribute to impaired T helper type 1 immune responses in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Impaired T helper type 1 (Th1) function is implicated in the susceptibility of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to respiratory infections, which are common causes of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). To understand the underlying mechanisms, we assessed regulatory T (Treg) cells and the expression of an inhibitory T-cell receptor, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4). Cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with AECOPD (n = 17), patients with stable COPD (sCOPD; n = 24) and age-matched healthy non-smoking controls (n = 26) were cultured for 24 hr with brefeldin-A or monensin to detect intracellular or surface CTLA-4 (respectively) by flow cytometry. T cells in PBMC from AECOPD (n = 9), sCOPD (n = 14) and controls (n = 12) were stimulated with anti-CD3 with and without anti-CTLA-4 blocking antibodies and cytokines were quantified by ELISA. Frequencies of circulating T cells expressing intracellular CTLA-4 were higher in sCOPD (P = 0·01), whereas patients with AECOPD had more T cells expressing surface CTLA-4 than healthy controls (P = 0·03). Increased frequencies of surface CTLA-4+ CD4+ T cells and CTLA-4+ Treg cells paralleled increases in plasma soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor-1 levels (r = 0·32, P = 0·01 and r = 0·29, P = 0·02, respectively) in all subjects. Interferon-γ responses to anti-CD3 stimulation were inversely proportional to frequencies of CD4+ T cells expressing intracellular CTLA-4 (r = -0·43, P = 0·01). Moreover, CTLA-4 blockade increased the induction of interferon-γ, tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in PBMC stimulated with anti-CD3. Overall, chronic inflammation may expand sub-populations of T cells expressing CTLA-4 in COPD patients and therefore impair T-cell function. CTLA-4 blockade may restore Th1 function in patients with COPD and so aid the clearance of bacterial pathogens responsible for AECOPD.

Healthcare workers' knowledge towards Zika virus infection in Indonesia: A survey in Aceh.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge on Zika virus infection among healthcare providers (doctors) in Aceh province, Indonesia. METHODS: A self-administered internet based survey was conducted from 3 May to 3 June 2016 among the members of doctor organizations in Aceh province. A set of validated, pre-tested questionnaire was used to measure knowledge regarding Zika infection and to collect a range of explanatory variables. A two-steps logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the association of participants' demographic, workplace characteristics and other explanatory variables with the knowledge. RESULTS: A total of 442 participants included in the final analysis and 35.9% of them (159) had a good knowledge on Zika infection. Multivariate model revealed that type of occupation, type of workplace, availability of access to medical journals and experience made Zika disease as differential diagnose were associated with knowledge on Zika infection. In addition, three significant source of information regarding Zika were online media (60%), medical article or medical news (16.2%) and television (13.2%). CONCLUSION: The knowledge of the doctors in Aceh regarding Zika infection is relatively low. Doctors who have a good knowledge on Zika infection are more confident to established Zika disease as differential diagnosis in their clinical setting. Therefore, such program to increase healthcare providers' knowledge regarding Zika infection is needed to screen potential carriers of Zika infection.