Shigellosis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Approximately, 1.1
million deaths occur a year due to this disease, making it the fourth leading cause of mortality worldwide.
This paper explores local interest in and potential use of a vaccine for shigellosis in Thailand where
Shigella
poses an important public-health concern. Data for this study were collected during June-November 2002 from 522 subjects surveyed using a sociobehavioural questionnaire in Kaeng Koi district
in central Thailand. The community demand and likely use of a vaccine were examined in relation to the
Health Belief Model, which provides analytical constructs for investigating the multiple issues of local
readiness to accept and access a new vaccine. As the key outcome variable, most respondents showed
interest in receiving a vaccine against dysentery which they thought would provide useful protection
against the disease. However, there was only a moderate number who perceived dysentery as serious and
themselves as susceptible to it, although it was perceived to cause some burden to and additional expense
for families. Most people identified a number of groups who were thought to be especially vulnerable to
dysentery, such as the elderly, pre-school, and school-age children, and poor labourers. Other outcomes
of the study included the identification of acceptable and convenient sites for its delivery, such as
government health clinics and private clinics, and respected sources for information about the vaccine,
such as health clinic personnel and community health volunteers. This information suggests that
components of the Health Belief Model may be useful in identifying community acceptance of a vaccine
and the means of introducing it. This health information is important for planning and implementing
vaccine programmes.
