Cross-sectional analysis of chikungunya vaccine acceptability among residents of Ponce, Puerto Rico, 2024-2025.

Chikungunya virus has previously caused outbreaks in U.S. territories. Recent chikungunya vaccine availability has expanded prevention options. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the acceptability of a hypothetical chikungunya vaccine provided at low or no cost among residents of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Among 2437 survey participants, 70.7% indicated they would get the vaccine, 22.6% would not, and 6.7% were unsure. Multivariable logistic regression showed that, after accounting for sex, vaccine acceptance was lower for participants aged 31-50 years (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.37-0.69) and > 50 years (aOR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.47-0.95) compared with younger adults, and for people completing some higher education (aOR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.26-0.78) compared with those with less than high school education. The most common reason for being uninterested or unsure was wanting to know about vaccine safety and side effects, emphasizing the importance of education and communication efforts to improve vaccine uptake.