Knowledge, attitude and compliance towards travel vaccines among Nigerian travellers at an international airport

BACKGROUND: The risk of contracting a travel-related disease does not only depend on the destination of travel and length of the trip, but also on the traveller’s own health status. Travel vaccines avert the increase of communicable disease. Awareness of traveller’s behaviours and their attitudes concerning infectious diseases can inform policy aimed at protecting the individual travellers, their contacts and the communities into which they travel. AIM: This study on travel vaccine was aimed to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and compliance to travel vaccines. SETTING: This study was conducted among Nigerian travellers at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Nigeria. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional descriptive study using systematic sampling technique, with the aid of interviewer-administered questionnaire to select 198 respondents for the study. The statistical software EPI-Info 7 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of respondents was 35.34 + 9.91 years and majority (58.1%) of the respondents were men. Majority (54.0%) were married and (43.4%) had tertiary education. About 35.9% were travelling to other African countries, 9.6% to Middle Eastern countries, 16.2% to Europe, 13.6% to North America and 7.6% to Australia. Their main purpose of travel was for employment or working (22.2%), business activities (20.7%), touring (16.2%) and visiting families and relatives (15.7%). About a half (41.4%) had good knowledge of travel vaccines, majority (83.8%) had positive attitude and majority (66.2%) had been vaccinated for yellow fever before travel. CONCLUSION: Significant associations exist between tribe, religion, education and knowledge of travel vaccines.