Effectiveness of a Counseling Intervention to Increase Vaccination Uptake among Men Who Have Sex with Men during the Mpox Outbreak.

ABSTRACT

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately impacted by sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and those preventable through vaccination such as mpox, HPV, HAV, and HBV. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of counseling provided during mpox vaccination on the uptake of other recommended vaccines (HPV, HAV, and HBV) and to identify associated factors. Relevant covariates such as nationality, age, HIV status, and use of PrEP were retrieved from electronic medical records. Vaccination status data were retrieved from the regional vaccination registry. Of the 330 participants, 98.8% were males and the mean age was 40.6 years (SD 11.2). Following consultation, a statistically significant increase for both HPV (from 25.8% to 39.1%) and HAV (from 26.7% to 36.1%) was observed (p < 0.001). The multivariate analysis showed a significant negative association between the uptake of HPV and HBV vaccines and foreign nationality (aOR 0.25 (95%CI 0.08-0.69), p = 0.012; and aOR 0.31 (95%CI 0.11-0.81), p = 0.021). The HBV vaccine uptake was negatively associated with increasing age. Our results suggest that tailored counseling can effectively bridge the gap in vaccine acceptance among vulnerable populations, thereby improving overall public health outcomes.