Healthcare workers’ worries and Monkeypox vaccine advocacy during the first month of the WHO Monkeypox alert: Cross-sectional survey in Saudi Arabia (original) (raw)

BackgroundMonkeypox virus re-surged in May 2022 as a new potential global health threat with outbreaks bursting in multiple countries across different continents. This study was conducted during the first month of the WHO announcement to assess the healthcare workers (HCWs) within Saudi Arabia, exploring their perception, worries, and vaccine acceptance for Monkeypox in-line with the resolving COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA national cross-sectional survey was conducted between May 27 and June 10, 2022, in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected on the sociodemographic and job-related characteristics, COVID-19 infection status, HCWs’ worry levels of Monkeypox compared to COVID-19 and its sources, their perceptions, awareness, and HCWs’ Monkeypox vaccination advocacy.ResultsAmong the 1130 HCWs who completed survey, 41.6% already developed COVID-19. Still, 56.5% were more worried from COVID-19 compared to Monkeypox, while the rest were more worried of Monkeypox disease. The main reason for their...