Acceptance of Childhood Rotavirus Vaccine Among Mothers at The Point of Rotavirus Vaccine Introduction: A case study from Awka Anambra State Nigeria

BACKGROUND:  Rotaviruses are the most important cause of severe diarrheal illness in infants and young children worldwide. Nigeria, with a prevalence of 56%, has one of the highest rates of rotavirus sickness in children under five years old, and rotavirus-related deaths were estimated to have caused 31,000 deaths in 2013. On August 22, 2022, aiming for universal immunization, the Nigerian government, through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in collaboration with partners and the World Health Organization (WHO), introduced the rotavirus vaccine into her Routine Immunization (RI) Schedule. This study aimed to assess parents’ acceptance of having their children vaccinated against rotavirus. METHODS:  We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study among 217 childbearing mothers attending clinics at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Awka, Anambra State. Data analysis was performed with SPSS version 27. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-six (166/217,76.5%) of respondents had heard of rotavirus infection., while 86.5% (142/166) of them had knowledge that vaccines are the main preventive measure, and 69.3% (115/166) were aware of the recent rotavirus vaccine introduction into the National Programme on Immunization (NPI). Ninety-one percent (91%) (169/217) were ready to accept the rotavirus vaccine because it is safe and useful to the health of their children. Only 3.7% (7/217) of respondents had some safety concerns about the rotavirus vaccine. Fifty percent (50%; 108/217) respondents had given their children rotavirus vaccines (either from private facilities before introduction into NIP or following the introduction). Regarding associated factors, women who had tertiary education were three times more likely than those with lower educational levels to have knowledge of rotavirus (aOR=2.9; 95%CI=1.425-6.028; p=<0.001). Respondents emphasized the need for more information on vaccine effectiveness and safety, with the medical doctor having the highest confidence to provide information about immunization.  CONCLUSION: Although the present study showed high levels of knowledge and good attitudes towards rotavirus and rotavirus vaccination, there are still some vaccine effectiveness and safety concerns by mothers that need to be addressed through more public awareness and campaigns.