Cross-sectional study involving healthcare professionals in a Vaccinia virus endemic area

Abstract Orthopoxviruses (OPV) are emerging viruses with great importance in human and veterinary medicine, such as Vaccinia virus (VACV), which causes outbreaks of bovine vaccinia (BV) in South America. The clinical aspects of BV are similar to other vesicular infections, complicating the clinical diagnosis. This cross-sectional study evaluated the knowledge of Healthcare Professionals about BV and revealed their unpreparedness about BV in a VACV hyper-endemic area in Brazil, highlighting the public health issues associated with VACV infections. This study presents an opportunity to discuss the importance of vaccination for healthcare professionals who work in areas of VACV circulation and brings an educational measure on VACV infections for health professionals around the world.