Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India

Hrishi Logani; Rajesh Kumar

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11

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Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India

Hrishi Logani, Rajesh Kumar

Published in International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy (Volume 6, Issue 3)

Received: 29 June 2021 Accepted: 19 July 2021 Published: 2 August 2021

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Abstract

Background: Influenza is a disease caused by four types of viruses and causes annual outbreaks. An outbreak of a new type of Influenza virus (A/H1N1) was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009. Recently, there has been a lot of focus on the development of the COVID-19 vaccine but the Influenza vaccine, which has been available for a long time and has proven efficacy, is not being optimally utilized in India. Objective: The study aimed at assessing the awareness and attitude about Influenza and its vaccine amongst Indian doctors so as to analyze reasons for Influenza vaccine hesitancy in India. Method: An online questionnaire-based survey was undertaken between September 2020 and December 2020. 1000 doctors with valid Indian medical graduation (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MBBS) or above were invited to participate. Results: The survey revealed that most doctors believed in Influenza vaccination as the best strategy to prevent infection, but lacked adequate awareness about the common facts regarding the appropriate season, diseases covered and the requirement of the influenza vaccine during pregnancy. Doctors opined that lack of patient awareness, casual counseling, few prescriptions by physicians, misconceptions about safety, and high cost of Influenza vaccine were the key reasons for vaccine hesitancy in patients. Conclusion: There is incomplete awareness amongst doctors regarding Influenza vaccination which might be a roadblock in the widespread acceptance of Influenza vaccines in India. Moreover, there is a need for patient-to-patient education through social media and the deployment of digital tools to address vaccine hesitancy in the country.

Published in	International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy (Volume 6, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11
Page(s)	83-89
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Influenza, Vaccine, Hesitancy, Doctor-survey, India

References

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[13]	Davis MM, McMahon SR, Santoli JM, Schwartz B, Clark SJ. A national survey of physician practices regarding influenza vaccine. J Gen Intern Med. 2002 Sep; 17 (9): 670-6. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2002.11040.x. PMID: 12220362; PMCID: PMC1495108.
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APA Style

Hrishi Logani, Rajesh Kumar. (2021). Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India. International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy, 6(3), 83-89. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11

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ACS Style

Hrishi Logani; Rajesh Kumar. Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India. Int. J. Infect. Dis. Ther. 2021, 6(3), 83-89. doi: 10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11

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AMA Style

Hrishi Logani, Rajesh Kumar. Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India. Int J Infect Dis Ther. 2021;6(3):83-89. doi: 10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11,
  author = {Hrishi Logani and Rajesh Kumar},
  title = {Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India},
  journal = {International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy},
  volume = {6},
  number = {3},
  pages = {83-89},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijidt.20210603.11},
  abstract = {Background: Influenza is a disease caused by four types of viruses and causes annual outbreaks. An outbreak of a new type of Influenza virus (A/H1N1) was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009. Recently, there has been a lot of focus on the development of the COVID-19 vaccine but the Influenza vaccine, which has been available for a long time and has proven efficacy, is not being optimally utilized in India. Objective: The study aimed at assessing the awareness and attitude about Influenza and its vaccine amongst Indian doctors so as to analyze reasons for Influenza vaccine hesitancy in India. Method: An online questionnaire-based survey was undertaken between September 2020 and December 2020. 1000 doctors with valid Indian medical graduation (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MBBS) or above were invited to participate. Results: The survey revealed that most doctors believed in Influenza vaccination as the best strategy to prevent infection, but lacked adequate awareness about the common facts regarding the appropriate season, diseases covered and the requirement of the influenza vaccine during pregnancy. Doctors opined that lack of patient awareness, casual counseling, few prescriptions by physicians, misconceptions about safety, and high cost of Influenza vaccine were the key reasons for vaccine hesitancy in patients. Conclusion: There is incomplete awareness amongst doctors regarding Influenza vaccination which might be a roadblock in the widespread acceptance of Influenza vaccines in India. Moreover, there is a need for patient-to-patient education through social media and the deployment of digital tools to address vaccine hesitancy in the country.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India
AU  - Hrishi Logani
AU  - Rajesh Kumar
Y1  - 2021/08/02
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11
T2  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
JF  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
JO  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
SP  - 83
EP  - 89
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-966X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11
AB  - Background: Influenza is a disease caused by four types of viruses and causes annual outbreaks. An outbreak of a new type of Influenza virus (A/H1N1) was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009. Recently, there has been a lot of focus on the development of the COVID-19 vaccine but the Influenza vaccine, which has been available for a long time and has proven efficacy, is not being optimally utilized in India. Objective: The study aimed at assessing the awareness and attitude about Influenza and its vaccine amongst Indian doctors so as to analyze reasons for Influenza vaccine hesitancy in India. Method: An online questionnaire-based survey was undertaken between September 2020 and December 2020. 1000 doctors with valid Indian medical graduation (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MBBS) or above were invited to participate. Results: The survey revealed that most doctors believed in Influenza vaccination as the best strategy to prevent infection, but lacked adequate awareness about the common facts regarding the appropriate season, diseases covered and the requirement of the influenza vaccine during pregnancy. Doctors opined that lack of patient awareness, casual counseling, few prescriptions by physicians, misconceptions about safety, and high cost of Influenza vaccine were the key reasons for vaccine hesitancy in patients. Conclusion: There is incomplete awareness amongst doctors regarding Influenza vaccination which might be a roadblock in the widespread acceptance of Influenza vaccines in India. Moreover, there is a need for patient-to-patient education through social media and the deployment of digital tools to address vaccine hesitancy in the country.
VL  - 6
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Hrishi Logani

Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, India
Rajesh Kumar

Department of Internal Medicine, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram, India

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APA Style

Hrishi Logani, Rajesh Kumar. (2021). Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India. International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy, 6(3), 83-89. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11

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ACS Style

Hrishi Logani; Rajesh Kumar. Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India. Int. J. Infect. Dis. Ther. 2021, 6(3), 83-89. doi: 10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11

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AMA Style

Hrishi Logani, Rajesh Kumar. Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India. Int J Infect Dis Ther. 2021;6(3):83-89. doi: 10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11,
  author = {Hrishi Logani and Rajesh Kumar},
  title = {Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India},
  journal = {International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy},
  volume = {6},
  number = {3},
  pages = {83-89},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijidt.20210603.11},
  abstract = {Background: Influenza is a disease caused by four types of viruses and causes annual outbreaks. An outbreak of a new type of Influenza virus (A/H1N1) was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009. Recently, there has been a lot of focus on the development of the COVID-19 vaccine but the Influenza vaccine, which has been available for a long time and has proven efficacy, is not being optimally utilized in India. Objective: The study aimed at assessing the awareness and attitude about Influenza and its vaccine amongst Indian doctors so as to analyze reasons for Influenza vaccine hesitancy in India. Method: An online questionnaire-based survey was undertaken between September 2020 and December 2020. 1000 doctors with valid Indian medical graduation (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MBBS) or above were invited to participate. Results: The survey revealed that most doctors believed in Influenza vaccination as the best strategy to prevent infection, but lacked adequate awareness about the common facts regarding the appropriate season, diseases covered and the requirement of the influenza vaccine during pregnancy. Doctors opined that lack of patient awareness, casual counseling, few prescriptions by physicians, misconceptions about safety, and high cost of Influenza vaccine were the key reasons for vaccine hesitancy in patients. Conclusion: There is incomplete awareness amongst doctors regarding Influenza vaccination which might be a roadblock in the widespread acceptance of Influenza vaccines in India. Moreover, there is a need for patient-to-patient education through social media and the deployment of digital tools to address vaccine hesitancy in the country.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Awareness About Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine: A Doctor Survey to Assess Reasons for Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in India
AU  - Hrishi Logani
AU  - Rajesh Kumar
Y1  - 2021/08/02
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11
T2  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
JF  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
JO  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
SP  - 83
EP  - 89
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-966X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20210603.11
AB  - Background: Influenza is a disease caused by four types of viruses and causes annual outbreaks. An outbreak of a new type of Influenza virus (A/H1N1) was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009. Recently, there has been a lot of focus on the development of the COVID-19 vaccine but the Influenza vaccine, which has been available for a long time and has proven efficacy, is not being optimally utilized in India. Objective: The study aimed at assessing the awareness and attitude about Influenza and its vaccine amongst Indian doctors so as to analyze reasons for Influenza vaccine hesitancy in India. Method: An online questionnaire-based survey was undertaken between September 2020 and December 2020. 1000 doctors with valid Indian medical graduation (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MBBS) or above were invited to participate. Results: The survey revealed that most doctors believed in Influenza vaccination as the best strategy to prevent infection, but lacked adequate awareness about the common facts regarding the appropriate season, diseases covered and the requirement of the influenza vaccine during pregnancy. Doctors opined that lack of patient awareness, casual counseling, few prescriptions by physicians, misconceptions about safety, and high cost of Influenza vaccine were the key reasons for vaccine hesitancy in patients. Conclusion: There is incomplete awareness amongst doctors regarding Influenza vaccination which might be a roadblock in the widespread acceptance of Influenza vaccines in India. Moreover, there is a need for patient-to-patient education through social media and the deployment of digital tools to address vaccine hesitancy in the country.
VL  - 6
IS  - 3
ER  -

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