Fear Of Vaccination Research Articles

Battle against poliovirus in Pakistan

On 22 Feb 2013, the Polio Monitoring Cell of Pakistan announced that the 2012-2013 polio campaign ended, and that 1.6 million children could not be vaccinated due to security concerns in several regions where polio workers had been killed. Those who could not be vaccinated included 50,000 children from the Federally Administrated Tribal Area (FATA), 150,000 form Khyber Pakhtoon Khao, 400,000 from a Quetta, 400,000 from Karachi, and a small number from the Rawalpindi District. These statistics are worrying, as several districts in the large metropolitan cities of Karachi and Quetta were also excluded. The fear of advanced medicine, ideas, or complex devices is a new phenomenon in many conservative and poor countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Somalia. To safeguard the safety of the rest of the world, the failure in the implementation of WHO guidelines for vaccination must be regulated by the UN. There are a number of reasons for the phobias surrounding vaccination, but as technology continues to evolve at such a rapid rate, those with self-determined ideologies cannot cope with such advances. They become vocal to gain popularity and prevent the use of these technologies and medicine by creating and spreading rumors and propaganda of expediency. The struggle to vaccinate children is not easily understood by anyone living in the developed world. The irrational fear of vaccines and the lack of vaccination pose a serious global health risk and must be curbed through a wide variety of pro-vaccination media and religious campaigns.

Ohio Appalachia Public Health Department Personnel: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Availability, and Acceptance and Concerns Among Parents of Male and Female Adolescents

Public health departments (n = 48) serving the 32 counties of Ohio Appalachia were contacted to determine human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine availability and to assess patient and parental attitudes, perceived barriers, and decisional differences about vaccination for male and female adolescents. Nurses or nursing supervisors in 46 of 48 health departments agreed to participate with 45 (97.8 %) reporting that HPV vaccines were available for males and females. HPV vaccination barriers reported most frequently were lack of knowledge about the vaccines, concerns about potential side effects, the newness of the HPV vaccines, and parents believing their children were not sexually active or were too young to receive an HPV vaccine. Provider reports of the primary differences in the acceptability of an HPV vaccine among parents of males compared to the parents of females were lack of awareness that an HPV vaccine was available for males, not understanding why the vaccine should be given to males, and fear of vaccination increasing sexual promiscuity among female adolescents. Half of the health departments (n = 24) reported that parents of females were more receptive toward HPV vaccination, 16 health departments reported no difference in acceptability based on gender of the child, and 5 health departments reported that parents of males were more receptive. This study suggests that there are different informational needs of males and females and parents of male and female children when making an informed decision about HPV vaccination. Findings highlight content to include in strategies to increase HPV vaccination rates among Appalachia Ohio residents.

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fearby MnookinSeth. New York, Simon and Schuster, 2011, 448 pp., $26.99 (hardcover).

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fearby MnookinSeth. New York, Simon and Schuster, 2011, 448 pp., $26.99 (hardcover).

HIV vaccine acceptability: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To conduct a systematic review of the literature to examine HIV vaccine acceptability and factors impacting acceptability of future HIV vaccines. Systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed articles that assessed HIV vaccine acceptability. We used a comprehensive search strategy across multiple electronic databases to locate original quantitative or qualitative studies that examined rates or correlates of HIV vaccine acceptability. We conducted meta-analysis on studies reporting correlates or predictors of HIV vaccine acceptability. Twenty studies (n=7576) reported HIV vaccine acceptability ranging from 37.2 to 94.0 on a 100-point scale; weighted mean acceptability =65.6 (SD=21.1). Eleven studies compared HIV vaccine acceptability at high (80-95%) efficacy (mean =73.8; SD=9.2) versus moderate (50%) efficacy (mean =40.4; SD=20.2). Among 13 studies (n=5023) included in meta-analysis, efficacy and non 'risk group' membership had medium effect sizes, and pragmatic obstacles, cost, perceived susceptibility to HIV infection, side effects/safety concerns, fear of vaccines, perceived vaccine benefits, duration of protection, and ethnicity had small effect sizes on HIV vaccine acceptability. Public health strategies to promote the benefits of partial efficacy HIV vaccines and accurate HIV risk perceptions, and to dispel vaccine fears, along with structural interventions to subsidize vaccine costs and facilitate access, may increase future HIV vaccine uptake and, in turn, the effectiveness of HIV vaccines in controlling the epidemic.

Fear of Vaccines Significant Among U.S. Parents

Fear of Vaccines Significant Among U.S. Parents

P15-11. Preventive HIV vaccine acceptability: a systematic review and meta-analysis

perceived susceptibility to HIV (r = 0.26, p < 0.001), and perceived vaccine benefits (r = 0.17, p < 0.05); and negatively associated with: cost (r = -0.33, p < 0.05), not being in a risk group (r = -0.32, p < 0.001), pragmatic obstacles (r = -0.29, p < 0.05), fear of vaccines (r = -0.20, p < 0.05), side effects/safety concerns (r = -0.16, p < 0.01), fear of needles (r = -0.12, p < 0.05), and African American ethnicity (r = -0.08, p < 0.05).

Couverture vaccinale antigrippale et antipneumococcique à partir de 65ans : étude sur 299 patients ambulatoires

There is no compulsory vaccination in the adult population. Therefore, vaccine coverage appears heterogeneous. We performed a 2-month survey to evaluate the vaccine coverage administered by 11 general practitioners in their patients aged 65 and over, with a focus on influenza vaccination recommended in France for individuals being 65 years old or more and on pneumococcal vaccination indicated but not recommended in the same age population; analysing the reasons for non vaccine administration against influenza and pneumococcal infections. Two hundred and ninety-nine patients were interviewed, mean age of 77+/-6,9 years; 76,3% were vaccinated against influenza; only nine patients out of the 46 having a recommendation for pneumococcal vaccine were immunized (19,6%). The main reasons for non vaccination were the fear of vaccine for influenza and a lack of information for the pneumococcal vaccine. These results underline the low prevalence for pneumococcal vaccine in ambulatory patients, despite recommendations. Previous studies with controversial data might explain the low prevalence. Better information of the expected benefit of this vaccine and better correlation between indications and recommendations could increase its coverage.

New alliance formed to immunise parents against vaccine fears

New alliance formed to immunise parents against vaccine fears

New alliance formed to immunise parents against vaccine fears

New alliance formed to immunise parents against vaccine fears

New Book About Vaccine Safety

Today, more than ever before, parents are concerned about the safety of vaccines. Fear of vaccines has been fueled by information provided on television programs, in newspaper and magazine articles, and on the Internet. Much of this information is based on opinions that are unsupported by scientific evidence. As a result, some parents are choosing to withhold, separate, or space out vaccines. The consequences of delaying vaccines have been predictable; recent outbreaks of diseases such as pertussis and measles have centered on communities where parents have chosen not to vaccinate their children.1,2 Doctors, scientists, and public health officials, alarmed by the trend, have tried to counter the flood of misinformation, but their voices have often been drowned out by the journalistic drumbeat of balance, representing both sides of a controversy even when only one side is supported by scientific evidence. With the book Do Vaccines Cause That?! A Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety Concerns , Martin Myers and Diego Pineda step into the fray.3 Myers is the director of … Address correspondence to Paul A. Offit, MD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Vaccine Education Center, Abramson Research Building, Room 1202D, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: offit{at}email.chop.edu

Correlates of Acceptance of a Hypothetical Gonorrhea Vaccine by Incarcerated Women

This study sought to identify correlates of acceptance of a hypothetical Neisseria gonorrhea (GC) vaccine in a high-risk sample of incarcerated women. The goal of this study was to inform efforts to promote acceptance of STI vaccines in development. This study consisted of a cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire. The majority (79%) of incarcerated women surveyed would accept GC vaccine. In multivariate analyses that controlled for demographics, significant health belief model psychosocial correlates of higher acceptance were perceived severity of infection (OR = 3.33) and vulnerability to infection (OR = 2.85). Fear of vaccination was significantly correlated with lower acceptance (OR = 0.42). Incarcerated women's willingness to accept a hypothetical GC vaccine is explained by components of the health belief model and a component of the theory of reasoned action.

Public Fear of Vaccination: Separating Fact From Fiction

During the last two centuries, the world has seen a substantial increase in the number and availability of vaccines for the prevention of infectious disease. Smallpox vaccine remains the most celebrated vaccine-related achievement in human history, but worldwide reductions in many other diseases including measles, mumps, rubella, polio, diphtheria, and whooping cough (Bordetella pertussis) also illustrate the power of vaccination in controlling outbreaks of contagious diseases. Ironically, as advances in vaccination successfully limit disease outbreaks, the impact that these infectious agents once had on society becomes marginalized. Public confidence in vaccination may erode because of real or perceived risks associated with immunization, and this in turn may lead to lower vaccination coverage and loss of herd immunity. Here, we will discuss some of the elements associated with public perceptions and fear of vaccination and place these into the context of how deadly several vaccine-preventable childhood diseases can be if vaccination coverage is insufficient.

Challenges for HIV Vaccine Dissemination and Clinical Trial Recruitment: If We Build It, Will They Come?

HIV vaccine availability does not guarantee uptake. Given suboptimal uptake of highly efficacious and already accessible vaccines in the United States, low vaccine coverage in the developing world, and the expectation that initial HIV vaccines will be only partially efficacious, the public health community will face formidable challenges in disseminating U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved HIV vaccines. HIV/AIDS stigma, fear of vaccine- induced HIV infection, social side effects of testing HIV-positive, and mistrust of government and research present additional obstacles to HIV vaccine dissemination. Increased risk behaviors because of HIV vaccine availability can undermine the effectiveness of partially efficacious vaccines in reducing HIV incidence. HIV vaccine efficacy trials also face significant challenges in recruitment of sufficient volunteers and possible increases in risk behaviors due to trial participation. Planning and designing interventions to facilitate successful recruitment for large-scale phase 3 efficacy trials is a vital step towards U.S. FDA-approved HIV vaccines. Rather than despair in the face of momentous HIV vaccine dissemination challenges, or presume unrealistically that vaccine uptake will ensue automatically and that risk behavior increases will not occur, let us deem the estimated 10-year window to an approved HIV vaccine as an opportunity to investigate and confront these challenges. A consumer research agenda founded on social marketing principles is needed to facilitate the design of empirically-based interventions tailored to the unique needs and preferences of specific segments of consumers. Social marketing interventions may increase future HIV vaccine uptake and clinical trial participation, and mitigate increases in HIV risk behaviors.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Acceptability Among Parents of 10- to 15-Year-Old Adolescents

Parents or guardians of adolescents, boys and girls aged 10 to 15 years, were recruited from a variety of medical and community sites to participate in a study of acceptance for the administration of a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) to teenagers. Participants were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire about attitudes toward vaccines, health beliefs, knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccinations, and sociodemographic information. They were also questioned about their opinions of vaccines and the vaccine status of their family and given an educational fact sheet on HPV and the HPV vaccine. Five hundred six participants completed the survey and were included in the analysis. Knowledge of HPV did not seem to be a predictor of vaccine acceptance. Initially, there were no significant differences in the demonstration of understanding about HPV and its consequences between parents who did and who did not want the vaccine for their child. Attitudes toward vaccines, in general, were the strongest predictors of the acceptance of an HPV vaccine. Parents who wanted the vaccine for their adolescents were significantly more likely to believe that vaccines are effective in preventing disease, to feel that it is important for their children to receive all of their vaccines, to have no fear of vaccines, and to believe that vaccines are helpful (range of P values, 0.01 to <0.001). Approximately 85% of those who did and those who did not want the vaccine for their child indicated concern about the side effects of vaccines. The most important influences on parental acceptance of the HPV vaccine were a doctor's recommendation and school requirements. Those who did not want the vaccines were much less influenced by doctors but more influenced by school requirements. Participants were asked to read an educational fact sheet about HPV and the HPV vaccine. Initially, 55% of parents indicated that they wanted the vaccine for their child, 23% did not, and 22% were undecided. After receiving the HPV information, 20% of those who initially did not want the vaccine and 65% of those who were undecided changed their minds and wanted the vaccine. After the intervention, 75% of parents wanted the vaccine, 25% did not, and 5% remained undecided (P <0.001 for change). After educational intervention, more parents who desired the vaccine, and those who were undecided believed the vaccine was safe (P <0.001), believed that the vaccine could prevent penile cancer (P <0.01), and did not believe the vaccine could cause HPV (P <0.001) than the parents who did not want the vaccine (compared with parents who were undecided (6%) or who wanted the vaccine for their child (8%). A greater percentage of parents who did not want the vaccine believed it would promote early sexual activity (23%) (P <0.03).

Poor uptake of hepatitis B immunization amongst hospital-based health care staff

The uptake of hepatitis B vaccine was assessed amongst 100 medical and 100 nursing staff in a teaching hospital with a policy of recommending to those at risk that they should seek immunization from their general practitioners. Sixteen per cent of nurses and 31% of doctors had completed a course of immunization with confirmation of seroconversion. An additional 9% and 18% respectively had been immunized without post-immunization serology. Ninety three per cent of nurses and 61% of doctors who had not been immunized would like to receive the vaccine. The commonest reasons for non-immunization amongst nurses were fear of vaccine and lack of advice, and amongst doctors, apathy and difficulty in obtaining the vaccine. Eighty seven per cent of medical staff and 57% of nurses had a history of needle stick injury. The low rates of vaccine uptake in this study combined with the high incidence of needle stick injury calls for a reappraisal of present hepatitis B vaccination programmes in hospitals. In particular the abrogation of responsibility for immunization to general practitioners is probably a major disincentive to potential vaccines.