The acceptability and accessibility of a hypothetical
Shigella
vaccination campaign was explored. A
household survey was conducted with 539 randomly-selected residents of six communes in Nha Trang
city of Viet Nam. Four categories of acceptability, such as refusers, low acceptors, acceptors, and high
acceptors, were established, Refusers were significantly more likely to be elderly women and were less
likely to know the purpose of vaccinations. Low acceptors tended to be male, elderly, and live in urban
areas. Low acceptors perceived the disease as less serious and themselves as less vulnerable than
acceptors and high acceptors. In terms of accessing vaccination, the commune health centre workers
and commune leaders were the preferred sources of information and commune health centres the
preferred location for vaccination. Direct verbal information from healthcare providers and audiovisual
media were preferred to written information. The respondents expressed a desire for knowledge
about the side-effects and efficacy of the vaccine. These findings are significant for targeting specific
messages about shigellosis and vaccination to different populations and maximizing informed
participation in public-health campaigns.