Original Research Paper

An Indian Community Survey To Assess Reasons For Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy

Abstract :

Background: Flu is caused by four types of viruses: Type A, Type B, Type C, and Type D. In India, the flu vaccine is not being optimally utilized in India but there has been a lot of focus on the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite the availability of vaccines, the vaccine uptake has been very less in India. Objective: This study aims to assess the awareness level of the general population of India regarding the flu and the flu vaccine and determine the reasons for flu vaccine hesitancy in India. Method: An online survey was created in consultation with physicians of good reputation. The survey was circulated to around 1000 people through electronic media from September 2020 to December 2020. Results: The data obtained from the survey reveals that most people dont consider the Influenza vaccine as the best strategy to prevent Influenza infection. People opined lack of clear cut government policies for mass vaccination, few prescriptions by physicians, high cost of Influenza vaccine, and lack of awareness amongst people, and risk of side effects of Influenza vaccine as the reasons for vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion: There are myths in India around the Influenza and the Influenza vaccine; therefore, there is a need of spreading awareness through social media and digital tools to reduce the Influenza vaccine hesitancy in the nation. Further studies can be performed at a larger scale to understand and address the Influenza vaccine hesitancy in a better way.

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