Because people’s misconceptions are deeply rooted and based on observation, www.selleckchem.com/products/SP600125.html it is necessary to develop a convincing health education program [10] that includes a demonstration of appropriate personal protective measures. Only one-fifth of the respondents in our study would like to wear surgical face masks in public places. A possible explanation rests on the misconceptions regarding the mode of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 transmission among the study population. To limit the spread of disease during the early containment phase of an influenza pandemic response, the WHO recommends the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions, including public education, social distancing, home quarantine

and travel restrictions [11] and [12]. In addition, the implementation of preventive measures (for example, the use of face masks) should also be increased, and the

community should be made aware of the importance of vaccination PD-0332991 research buy in the prevention and control of an emerging disease. The national control measures advocated in Malaysia reflect this standardized approach. However, compliance with this approach depends on community-wide understanding of the required control measures and the value of these control measures in disease mitigation [13]. In a Hong Kong-based study, the percentage of respondents who intended to get vaccinated was only 28.4% among healthcare workers at the time of the WHO phase 3 influenza pandemic alert and increased to 47.9% at phase 5 [14]. In the present study, 58% intended to get vaccinated at the time of the phase 3 WHO alert. This proportion is likely to increase during any escalated the WHO alert phase because in general, it will take time for people to make

proper judgments regarding any new product. Our data indicate that the significant reasons affecting the intention to get vaccinated were related to the subject’s trust in the vaccine’s efficacy, subjects worrying about themselves contracting the virus and their background education level. The HBM OSBPL9 states that perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived efficacy, perceived benefits and barriers, cues for action [7] and [15], and the threat and coping appraisal [16] and [17] predict health-seeking behaviours or motivation for protection. It is also assumed that the health literacy is higher in the segments of the general public with a higher level of education. Vaccination is a potentially effective measure that can reduce mortality and morbidity from influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 [14]. Notably, a considerable proportion of respondents who did not intend to get vaccinated in this study made this decision primarily based on a lack of confidence in the efficacy of the vaccine and fear of its side effects. These findings were more common in this study than in a study in Hong Kong, where worry about side effects of the vaccine (30%) and doubts about the efficacy of the vaccine (20%) were the most common reasons for refusal [14].