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Annual Review of Public Health Apr 2021An often-stated public health comment is that "vaccination is a victim of its own success." While the scientific and medical consensus on the benefits of vaccination is... (Review)
Review
An often-stated public health comment is that "vaccination is a victim of its own success." While the scientific and medical consensus on the benefits of vaccination is clear and unambiguous, an increasing number of people are perceiving vaccines as unsafe and unnecessary. The World Health Organization identified "the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite availability of vaccines" as one of the 10 threats to global health in 2019. The negative influence of anti-vaccination movements is often named as a cause of increasing vaccine resistance in the public. In this review, we give an overview of the current literature on the topic, beginning by agreeing on terminology and concepts before looking at potential causes, consequences, and impacts of resistance to vaccination.
Topics: Forecasting; Humans; Public Health; Vaccination; Vaccines
PubMed: 33798403
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-090419-102240 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Aug 2013Despite being recognized as one of the most successful public health measures, vaccination is perceived as unsafe and unnecessary by a growing number of individuals.... (Review)
Review
Despite being recognized as one of the most successful public health measures, vaccination is perceived as unsafe and unnecessary by a growing number of individuals. Lack of confidence in vaccines is now considered a threat to the success of vaccination programs. Vaccine hesitancy is believed to be responsible for decreasing vaccine coverage and an increasing risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks and epidemics. This review provides an overview of the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy. First, we will characterize vaccine hesitancy and suggest the possible causes of the apparent increase in vaccine hesitancy in the developed world. Then we will look at determinants of individual decision-making about vaccination.
Topics: Communicable Diseases; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Risk Assessment; Vaccination; Vaccines
PubMed: 23584253
DOI: 10.4161/hv.24657 -
International Journal of Infectious... Apr 2020Known since Hippocrates and of continuing public health importance, influenza remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and large segments of the human... (Review)
Review
Known since Hippocrates and of continuing public health importance, influenza remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and large segments of the human population are affected every year. Vaccination is the most effective means of preventing influenza infection. Today, many countries have implemented annual influenza vaccination programs, and there is increasing awareness of the potential societal and health benefits of vaccinating pregnant women, children aged 6 months to 5 years, older adults, and persons with underlying medical conditions that make them vulnerable to serious complications of influenza. In this non-systematic review, we summarize data on influenza epidemiology and influenza vaccine immunogenicity, efficacy/effectiveness, and safety in the main high-risk groups. We also discuss the optimal time to vaccinate and the effect of pre-existing immunity on vaccine response.
Topics: Age Factors; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Humans; Immunogenicity, Vaccine; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Male; Pregnancy; Public Health; Vaccination
PubMed: 32109627
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.02.040 -
The Veterinary Clinics of North... Mar 2018This brief review discusses some recent advances in vaccine technologies with particular reference to their application within veterinary medicine. It highlights some of... (Review)
Review
This brief review discusses some recent advances in vaccine technologies with particular reference to their application within veterinary medicine. It highlights some of the key inactivated/killed approaches to vaccination, including natural split-product and subunit vaccines, recombinant subunit and protein vaccines, and peptide vaccines. It also covers live/attenuated vaccine strategies, including modified live marker/differentiating infected from vaccinated animals vaccines, live vector vaccines, and nucleic acid vaccines.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Eimeria; Plant Cells; Vaccination; Vaccines; Vaccines, DNA; Yeasts
PubMed: 29217317
DOI: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2017.10.002 -
Vaccine Dec 2016While most people vaccinate according to the recommended schedule, this success is challenged by individuals and groups who delay or refuse vaccines. The aim of this... (Review)
Review
While most people vaccinate according to the recommended schedule, this success is challenged by individuals and groups who delay or refuse vaccines. The aim of this article is to review studies on vaccine hesitancy among healthcare providers (HCPs), and the influences of their own vaccine confidence and vaccination behaviour on their vaccination recommendations to others. The search strategy was developed in Medline and then adapted across several multidisciplinary mainstream databases including Embase Classic & Embase, and PschInfo. All foreign language articles were included if the abstract was available in English. A total of 185 articles were included in the literature review. 66% studied the vaccine hesitancy among HCPs, 17% analysed concerns, attitudes and/or behaviour of HCPs towards vaccinating others, and 9% were about evaluating intervention(s). Overall, knowledge about particular vaccines, their efficacy and safety, helped to build HCPs own confidence in vaccines and their willingness to recommend vaccines to others. The importance of societal endorsement and support from colleagues was also reported. In the face of emerging vaccine hesitancy, HCPs still remain the most trusted advisor and influencer of vaccination decisions. The capacity and confidence of HCPs, though, are stretched as they are faced with time constraints, increased workload and limited resources, and often have inadequate information or training support to address parents' questions. Overall, HCPs need more support to manage the quickly evolving vaccine environment as well as changing public, especially those who are reluctant or refuse vaccination. Some recommended strategies included strengthening trust between HCPs, health authorities and policymakers, through more shared involvement in the establishment of vaccine recommendations.
Topics: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Personnel; Humans; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Vaccination; Vaccines
PubMed: 27810314
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.10.042 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 2019Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake consistently lags behind that of other adolescent vaccines. In 2017, uptake of a single HPV vaccine dose and HPV vaccine series... (Review)
Review
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake consistently lags behind that of other adolescent vaccines. In 2017, uptake of a single HPV vaccine dose and HPV vaccine series completion was 66% and 49%, respectively, compared to uptake of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine (89%) and quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (85%). Reasons for not vaccinating adolescents again HPV are varied, and in many cases, are rooted in commonly spread myths and misperceptions about the vaccine. In this review, we address five key myths - HPV vaccination is not effective at preventing cancer; Pap smears are sufficient to prevent cervical cancer; HPV vaccination is not safe; HPV vaccination is not needed since most infections are naturally cleared by the immune system; 11-12 years of age is too young to vaccinate. For each myth, we summarize the scientific evidence refuting the myth and provide speaking prompts for healthcare professionals to communicate about HPV vaccination.
Topics: Health Personnel; Humans; Immunization Schedule; Papillomavirus Infections; Papillomavirus Vaccines; Vaccination
PubMed: 30676241
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2019.1565267 -
Vaccine Oct 2017Many parents make a conscious decision not to vaccinate their child. Multiple beliefs and perceptions surround this choice. If uptake of routine child vaccination is to... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Many parents make a conscious decision not to vaccinate their child. Multiple beliefs and perceptions surround this choice. If uptake of routine child vaccination is to increase, public health communications about vaccines must be informed by evidence on the factors affecting uptake.
METHOD
We conducted a systematic review to investigate psychological, social and contextual factors associated with uptake of routine vaccines in young children. Studies were included if they reported analyses of the association between psychological factors and uptake or included parents' self-reported reasons for or against vaccination.
RESULTS
Our search identified 9110 citations after deduplication. Sixty-eight citations describing sixty-four studies were included in the review. The quality of the studies was mixed. There is strong evidence for an association between vaccination uptake and: not perceiving vaccines to cause adverse effects; general positive attitudes towards vaccination; positive vaccine recommendations; and perceiving fewer practical difficulties of vaccination. While there was good evidence for an association between vaccination and perceived susceptibility to the illness, evidence for an association between perceived severity of an illness and vaccination was weak. Other factors associated with vaccination include knowledge about the vaccine, social influences and trust in the healthcare profession. Having increased information about the vaccine was associated with vaccination, but the influence of different sources of information needs more research.
CONCLUSION
Understanding which factors are consistently associated with the decision to vaccinate one's child is important to identify messages which should be targeted by public health communications about routine child vaccinations.
Topics: Child; Decision Making; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Parents; Vaccination; Vaccines
PubMed: 28974409
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.09.046 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 2019Currently, many countries are dealing with groups refusing available recommended vaccinations. Despite several studies having demonstrated the efficacy of mandatory...
Currently, many countries are dealing with groups refusing available recommended vaccinations. Despite several studies having demonstrated the efficacy of mandatory vaccinations in ensuring herd immunity, opposition is widespread. The aim of our study was to systematically review published studies evaluating attitudes towards mandatory vaccination programs. PubMed and Scopus scientific databases were searched and 4,198 results were returned, of these 29 met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-two studies assessed attitudes towards mandatory vaccination programs in general, while 9 papers focused specifically on the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine. Most of the studies were performed in Europe and North America. According to the assessed studies, the majority of the population seems to be in favour of compulsory vaccinations, although attitudes differed among studies. The results presented in this review could be an important starting point to further understand the issue of vaccine hesitancy and support the implementation of effective vaccination strategies.
Topics: Europe; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Immunity, Herd; Immunization Programs; Mandatory Programs; North America; Vaccination; Vaccination Refusal; Vaccines
PubMed: 30633626
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2018.1564437 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2018Ever since the development of the first vaccine more than 200 years ago, vaccinations have greatly decreased the burden of infectious diseases worldwide, famously... (Review)
Review
Ever since the development of the first vaccine more than 200 years ago, vaccinations have greatly decreased the burden of infectious diseases worldwide, famously leading to the eradication of small pox and allowing the restriction of diseases such as polio, tetanus, diphtheria, and measles. A multitude of research efforts focuses on the improvement of established and the discovery of new vaccines such as the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine in 2006. However, radical changes in the density, age distribution and traveling habits of the population worldwide as well as the changing climate favor the emergence of old and new pathogens that bear the risk of becoming pandemic threats. In recent years, the rapid spread of severe infections such as HIV, SARS, Ebola, and Zika have highlighted the dire need for global preparedness for pandemics, which necessitates the extremely rapid development and comprehensive distribution of vaccines against potentially previously unknown pathogens. What is more, the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria calls for new approaches to prevent infections. Given these changes, established methods for the identification of new vaccine candidates are no longer sufficient to ensure global protection. Hence, new vaccine technologies able to achieve rapid development as well as large scale production are of pivotal importance. This review will discuss viral vector and nucleic acid-based vaccines (DNA and mRNA vaccines) as new approaches that might be able to tackle these challenges to global health.
Topics: Animals; Communicable Disease Control; Communicable Diseases; Disease Outbreaks; Global Health; Humans; Vaccination; Vaccines
PubMed: 30283434
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01963 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2021Although vaccines have already saved and will continue to save millions of lives, they are under attack. Vaccine safety is the main target of criticism. The rapid... (Review)
Review
Although vaccines have already saved and will continue to save millions of lives, they are under attack. Vaccine safety is the main target of criticism. The rapid distribution of false information, or even conspiracy theories on the internet has tremendously favored vaccine hesitancy. The World Health Organization (WHO) named vaccine hesitancy one of the top ten threats to global health in 2019. Parents and patients have several concerns about vaccine safety, of which the ubiquitous anxieties include inactivating agents, adjuvants, preservatives, or new technologies such as genetic vaccines. In general, increasing doubts concerning side effects have been observed, which may lead to an increasing mistrust of scientific results and thus, the scientific method. Hence, this review targets five topics concerning vaccines and reviews current scientific publications in order to summarize the available information refuting conspiracy theories and myths about vaccination. The topics have been selected based on the author's personal perception of the most frequently occurring safety controversies: the inactivation agent formaldehyde, the adjuvant aluminum, the preservative mercury, the mistakenly-drawn correlation between vaccines and autism and genetic vaccines. The scientific literature shows that vaccine safety is constantly studied. Furthermore, the literature does not support the allegations that vaccines may cause a serious threat to general human life. The author suggests that more researchers explaining their research ideas, methods and results publicly could strengthen the general confidence in science. In general, vaccines present one of the safest and most cost-effective medications and none of the targeted topics raised serious health concerns.
Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Communication; Humans; Prejudice; Vaccination; Vaccines
PubMed: 34177902
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.663280