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Stigma associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is common in endemic countries; however; instruments are lacking to accurately measure HBV‐related stigma. We therefore aimed to develop and validate a concise instrument for measuring perceived HBV‐related stigma in Sierra Leone. We enrolled 220 people living with HBV (PWHB) aged ≥18 years from August to November 2022. The initial Likert‐scale instrument entailed 12 items adapted from Berger's HIV Stigma Scale. We included four additional items adapted from the USAID indicators for enacted stigma. The proposed scale's psychometric properties were assessed. After item reduction, the final HBV Stigma Scale consisted of 10 items and had good internal consistency (overall Cronbach's α = 0.74), discriminant, and construct validity. Exploratory factor analysis produced a three‐dimensional structure accounting for 59.3% of variance: personalized stigma driven by public attitudes (six items), negative self‐image (two items), and disclosure concerns (two items). Overall, 72.8% of respondents reported perceived HBV‐related stigma (mean score 29.11 ± 4.14) and a similar proportion (73.6%) reported at least one instance of enacted stigma. In assessing criterion‐related validity, perceived HBV‐related stigma correlated strongly with enacted stigma (r = 0.556) and inversely with having family/friends with HBV (r = −0.059). The 10‐item HBV Stigma Scale demonstrated good internal consistency and validity and is suitable for screening for HBV‐related stigma in Sierra Leone. The psychometric properties of the scale can be optimized with item additions/modifications and confirmatory factor analysis. The scale may help in combating stigma as a barrier to achieving HBV global elimination goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite having safe and efficacious vaccines against COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy is widespread. Although a trusted source of information, vaccine hesitancy has been reported among healthcare professionals, yet few studies have explored this phenomenon in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals in Sierra Leone from January to March 2022. Measures included sociodemographic/health-related information and COVID-19-related concerns. From the responses, we constructed a hesitancy (VAX) score, with higher scores implying negative attitudes or unwillingness to vaccinate. Multivariate linear regression was used to access factors associated with vaccine hesitancy. Overall, 592 participants submitted responses (67.2% female, mean age 29 years, 5.6% physicians/pharmacists, 44.3% medical students, 29.2% nurses, 20.9% nursing students). The mean VAX score was 43.27 ± 8.77, with 60.1% of respondents classified as vaccine hesitant (>50th percentile) and 13.8% as highly hesitant (>75th percentile). Worries about unforeseen future effects (76.3%), a preference for natural immunity (59.5%), and profiteering/mistrust of health authorities (53.1%) were the most common concerns. Being a medical student (β = 0.105, p = 0.011) and previously refusing a recommended vaccine (β = 0.177, p < 0.001) were predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Our findings call for addressing vaccine hesitancy among healthcare professionals as an essential component of strategies aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]