Acceptance of Malaria, Human Papillomavirus, and Monkeypox Vaccines in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A 2024 Nationwide Vaccine Coverage Survey

Background In 2024, when the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) decided to introduce new vaccines against three health conditions (malaria, monkeypox, and cervical cancer), this study examined vaccine acceptance at the individual level, nationwide. Methods A cross-sectional household survey using a multistage sampling design was conducted in September 2024 in all 26 provinces of the DRC. Individuals aged 18 years and above were surveyed face-to-face about their socioeconomic characteristics as well as behavioral and social determinants (BeSD) related to malaria, cervical cancer, and monkeypox vaccine uptake. Multivariate binary logistic regression using Stata 18 was performed to identify the factors associated with vaccine acceptance for each of the three vaccines. Results The results showed high vaccine acceptance for the three new vaccines: 95.6% for malaria, 81.9% for monkeypox, and 84.3% for cervical cancer, with only malaria showing high awareness. Disparities were observed across provinces and rural and urban areas. The common factors associated with vaccine acceptance for the three health conditions were vaccine confidence and peer support. Conclusion The high level of vaccine acceptance revealed in this study indicates the potential success of scaling up the introduction of the three vaccines in the DRC. National Immunization programs should, however, consider raising awareness of cervical cancer and the importance of the vaccine among female parents to achieve comparable vaccine uptake levels to those of malaria and monkeypox vaccines.