Malaria Vaccine Introduction in Nigeria; Knowledge, Concerns and Acceptance Among Mothers of Under Five Children in Asaba, Nigeria

Background. Malaria remains endemic in Nigeria with a high burden of morbidity and mortality among children. Due to the high burden of morbidity associated with malaria, it has led to introduction of malaria vaccination. Despite this giant stride, it has faced several challenges. Aim of the study: The study is aimed at assessing the mother’s knowledge, concerns and acceptance of malaria vaccine among mothers of under five children in Asaba. Methods. This is a cross sectional study that was carried out among 400 mothers attending immunization unit or antenatal clinic using a simple random method. A structured, pretested, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. SPSS version 24.0 was used for data analysis. Statistical significance was set at p- value less than 0.05. Results. A total of 400 women participated in this study. The study revealed that 58.7% of the mothers have heard of malaria vaccine, with only 44.0% having a fair knowledge of the vaccine. Majority of the mother 44.7% got their information from a health worker. Most of the concerned raised by the mothers were the fear of side effect (44.0%) while only 36.8% of the mothers were willing to vaccinate their children with malaria vaccine. Conclusion. For effective introduction of malaria vaccine as part of the routine immunization program in Nigeria, dedicated effort must be made by all stake holders in ensuring timely dissemination of information on the importance and need for malaria vaccine as this will aid it acceptability by the populace.