Cultural Perception of Vaccines and Vaccination Among Rural Dwellers in Ayegbaju Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Vaccination is recognized as a cornerstone of public health, stands as one of the most monumental achievements in modern medicine and has been a transformative tool for disease prevention. The cultural perception of vaccines is deeply influenced by societal beliefs, norms, traditions, and historical experiences with healthcare systems. This study examined cultural perception of vaccines and vaccination among rural dwellers. Structured questionnaires were administered on 300 respondents in which 297 were successful returned and 5 sessions of in-depth interview were conducted for medical personnel in health centre of the study area. The knowledge of vaccines is fair in the study area, as it is analysed to be 35.4%. Attitude to vaccination is poor. Only 33.3% of respondents have being vaccinated at one time or the other while only 41% have their children vaccinated. Majority (54.5%) of those that were vaccinated, done that against tetanus. Fear of side effects is one to the major reasons for low vaccination in the study area. More than half (51%) culturally believed in natural immunity and that is why they believed they don’t need vaccines. In conclusion, cultural factors significantly influence vaccination perceptions, with beliefs in natural immunity and preferences for traditional remedies posing challenges to vaccination practices and addressing identified vaccination challenges in the study area (Ayegabju community) requires multifaceted strategies that involve community engagement, cultural sensitivity, and improved healthcare access. In addition, the study recommends sensitization and advocacy programs and jingles in local dialect/language that will be centred on importance of vaccines and vaccination for all age and gender.