News Release

Vaccine hesitancy: A PLOS Currents collection investigating vaccination decision-making

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

Vaccine Vials

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Researchers explore individuals' confidence or reluctance to vaccinate their families and the associated effects on global health, in a collection published on February 25, 2015 by the open-access journal, PLOS Currents: Outbreaks. The collection is accompanied by the editorial "Hesitancy, trust and individualism in vaccination decision-making" by Jonathan E. Suk et al. from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Vaccines are thought to be one of the most successful public health measures, but some individuals are hesitant to vaccinate their families for a variety of reasons. Due to the current spread of vaccine-preventable diseases, including the most recent measles outbreaks in California and Berlin, Suk notes that the issue of vaccine hesitancy "appears to be increasingly pressing and politicized in many parts of the world." Peretti-Watel et al. and Larson et al. analyze the ambiguity of the language surrounding the terms vaccine hesitancy and confidence, and stress the importance of clarifying these terms when communicating about vaccinations. Other researchers examined how public trust in larger social structures and health systems correlates with the decision to vaccinate in both the United States and Europe. The collection also hones in on issues surrounding specific vaccines, including a paper that investigates US women's intentions to request the Tdap and influenza vaccines while pregnant, as well as an article about the H1N1 vaccination and how public communication affects individuals' perceptions of vaccines. Likewise, contemporary vaccination coverage is explored in Schuster et al., which relates to the ongoing measles outbreak in Berlin and its disproportionate effects in young adults.

While some articles address specific vaccination concerns, all wrestle with the issues that arise when even a small subset of vaccine-hesitant or resistant individuals potentially undermine immunization efforts. This leads to the question posed by Larson et al., "How much confidence [in vaccines] is enough?" Suk believes this is a significant question to explore as vaccine hesitancy remains an issue of both policy and personal decision.

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In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available collection: http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/perspectives-on-vaccine-hesitancy-and-vaccination-coverage/

Contact

ECDC Press Office
press@ecdc.europa.eu

Rebecca Hofland
currents@plos.org

Articles

Hesitancy, Trust and Individualism in Vaccination Decision-making: http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/hesitancy-trust-and-individualism-in-vaccination-decision-making/

Measuring Vaccine Confidence: Introducing a Global Vaccine Confidence Index: http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/measuring-vaccine-confidence-introducing-a-global-vaccine-confidence-index/

Factors Associated with Intention to Receive Influenza and Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccines during Pregnancy: A Focus on Vaccine Hesitancy and Perceptions of Disease Severity and Vaccine Safety: http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/factors-associated-with-intention-to-receive-influenza-and-tetanus-diphtheria-and-acellular-pertussis-tdap-vaccines-during-pregnancy-a-focus-on-vaccine-hesitancy-and-perceptions-of/

Vaccine Hesitancy: Clarifying a Theoretical Framework for an Ambiguous Notion: http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/vaccine-hesitancy-clarifying-a-theoretical-framework-for-an-ambiguous-notion/

Why Are Young Adults Affected? Estimating Measles Vaccination Coverage in 20-34 Year Old Germans in Order to Verify Progress Towards Measles Elimination: http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/why-are-young-adults-affected-estimating-measles-vaccination-coverage-in-20-34-year-old-germans-in-order-to-verify-progress-towards-measles-elimination/

Vaccine Narratives and Public Health: Investigating Criticisms of H1N1 Pandemic Vaccination: http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/vaccine-narratives-and-public-health-investigating-criticisms-of-h1n1-pandemic-vaccination/


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