WELLINGTON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Possible severe adverse effects, along with concerns about effectiveness and protection period, lead to vaccine hesitancy, according to a New Zealand study on Monday.
Researchers from the University of Auckland were prompted by low vaccination rates in New Zealand after the COVID-19, raising fears of deadly outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles.
Vaccine hesitancy remains one of top 10 public health threats identified by the World Health Organization, according to the study.
Identifying Kiwis' priorities for vaccine information will help health professionals and policymakers provide the information they feel they need to weigh up decisions about vaccinating themselves or their children, said lead investigator Amy Chan, associate professor of the University of Auckland's School of Pharmacy.
The researchers explored the preferences of more than 600 New Zealanders using an online survey that took them through a series of decisions about vaccines by indicating what information would most influence their choices.
Overall, people most valued information about adverse effects and how much protection vaccines offered for how long, the researchers said, adding vaccine origin and route of administration were least important.
This differed slightly for people who tended to subscribe to conspiracy theories about vaccines. They wanted to know how long the vaccine had taken to develop and how many doses were required and were less concerned about effectiveness, Chan said.
Health providers would do well to advise vaccine-hesitant people how long the vaccine had taken to develop, and the total number of doses required, she added. ■