Determinants of Willingness to Uptake Malaria Vaccine by Caregivers of Children Under Five Years Attending Immunization Clinic in Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital Kano, Kano State, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Malaria remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where it disproportionately affects children under five years old. Despite advances in malaria prevention and treatment, including the introduction of the RTS, S and R21/Matrix-M vaccines, the uptake of vaccines is often hindered by various factors. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the determinants of caregivers' willingness to accept malaria vaccines for children under five attending the immunization clinic at Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital in Kano, Nigeria. METHODS: This cross-sectional study employed a Multistage sampling technique to collect data from 422 participants, using a self-administered structured questionnaire from caregivers attending the immunization clinic at Muhammad Abdukllahi Wase Teaching Hospital. The collected data was entered into a Microsoft Excel for processing. Subsequent analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. Data was presented using summary statistics. The factors associated with the willingness to accept a malaria vaccine, were tested using Chi-square tests at a significance level of 5%, with a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The findings reveal that while 94.5% of caregivers are willing to vaccinate their children, financial constraints remain a significant barrier, with only 45.7% willing to pay for the vaccine. The study identifies access to healthcare services and trust in health professionals as critical facilitators of vaccine acceptance. Interestingly, socio-demographic factors such as education, income, and employment status did not significantly impact caregivers' willingness to vaccinate. CONCLUSION: These results underscore the importance of addressing systemic barriers, such as financial support and healthcare access, to improve vaccination rates. Public health strategies should focus on enhancing caregivers' knowledge of vaccine safety, improving healthcare accessibility, and reducing financial barriers to vaccination.