Background: Of all teenage deaths caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 47% occurred in children aged 0 - 9. Like many other infectious diseases, reducing mortality in children requires widespread vaccination. Despite the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, a large percentage of children have not received the vaccine. Objectives: This survey aimed to study parents’ reluctance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for their children in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to parents whose 5 to 11-year-old children had received no COVID-9 vaccine through the health educators of primary schools in Shiraz, Iran. The questionnaire contained demographic questions and 16 beliefs about COVID-19 vaccination that were answered as yes/no. Results: We assessed 1093 respondents, including 49.5% (n = 542) male and 50.5% female students’ parents. The mean number of wrong beliefs was 7.21 ± 2.80 in parents who had boys and 7.78 ± 2.95 in girls’ parents. Also, 78.6% of participants had at least five wrong beliefs or excuses for not vaccinating their children. Notably, 82.8% of mothers and 84.3% of fathers were vaccinated with 2 - 3 doses against COVID-19. The most common wrong beliefs were probable vaccines’ side effects in the future, the undesirable effect of vaccination on children’s growth, and the awful effect of the vaccine on fertility, with a prevalence of 82.7%, 81.2%, and 76.7%, respectively. Conclusions: This study identified that most participants believed that COVID-19 vaccines have side effects for their children and unfavorable effects on children’s growth and infertility.

Context: About one third of all new HIV infections are estimated to occur among young people globally. In recent years, the increasing age of marriage in Iran has caused increasing risky behaviors in the young population. According to evidence, risk perception toward acquiring HIV is an important factor for risky behaviors. Objectives: This study was conducted to detect the concern toward HIV acquisition among Iranian youths. Evidence Acquisition: In this systematic review, the knowledge, attitudes, threat perception, and practices of youths toward HIV/AIDS were assessed through searching such databases as the Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. Quality assessment was done using STROBE and PRISMA-P checklists. A total of 1,036 articles were initially found, of which 28 articles were analyzed. Results: The youths’ knowledge about HIV/AIDS varied from low to moderate, their attitude was generally negative, perceived risk susceptibility was low, and risk perception ranged from 6.5 to 60%. Premarital sexual relationships were reported by 8 - 50% of the youths, while the rate of both condom use and consistent condom use was less than 50%. Conclusions: The current situation is worrisome and needs serious practical measurements. Therefore, urgent and multifactorial interventions such as establishment of youths’ sexual reproductive health services and its integration into the current primary health care system across the country are needed.