Vaccine adherence to vaccination schedule among male HIV-positive patients: a single-center study

Abstract Background The study centre collaborated with the public health service to recover the vaccinations missed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinations against pneumococcus (PCV/PPV), human papillomavirus (HPV9) and herpes zoster (HZric) have been offered to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in care at the clinic. This study aims to estimate vaccine adherence in men with HIV/AIDS to the proposed vaccination schedule. Materials and Methods In this retrospective observational study, data were extracted from the regional platform of vaccinations, including 941 males LWHA in care in 2022. Chi-squared tests were performed to assess differences in adherence according to the risk of transmission and nationality. Results The mean age was 52.97 years (SD = 13.1). Italian patients were 88.6%. Regarding the risk of HIV transmission, 828 (88%) men who have sex with men (MSM) and 113 (12%) heterosexual men (ETX) were included. About anti-SARS-CoV-2 (COV), 884 patients (93.94%) completed the primary cycle, 793 (84.27%) received the 3rd dose, 335 (35.6%) the 4th dose, 120 (12.75%) the 5th dose. The complete vaccination course was carried out by 488 patients (51.86%) for PCP/PPV, 487 (51.75%) for MenACWY, 485 (51.54%) for MenB, 277 (29.44%) for anti-Haemophilus Influenzae, 303 (32.2%) for HPV9, 286 (30.39%) for HZric and 427 (45.38%) for anti-Tetanus and Diphtheria. The adherence to the 3rd and 4th doses of COV, HPV9 and HZ2 vaccines was higher for MSM than ETX (p