European region most sceptical of vaccine safety, study finds

Results of an international study suggest that lack of confidence, rather than lack of access, is the main barrier to vaccination in some countries.

Young girl is being prepped for vaccination

Lack of public trust in vaccination can result in reduced uptake and disease outbreaks. The World Health Organization has recently called for better monitoring of public confidence in vaccination safety. 

In a large international study published in EBioMedicine (online, 8 September 2016)[1]
, 65,819 people from 67 countries were asked about their attitudes towards vaccination. 

The researchers found that the European region has the lowest confidence in vaccine safety, with seven of the ten least confident countries. France had the lowest confidence overall — 41% of respondents said they disagreed that vaccines are safe compared with a global average of 12%. 

The authors say that, given the widespread availability of vaccines in the European region, negative sentiment, rather than access, may be emerging as the primary barrier to vaccination in many countries.

References

[1] Larson HJ, de Figuueiredo A, Xiahong Z et al. The State of Vaccine Confidence 2016: Global insights through a 67-country survey. EBioMedicine 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.08.042

Last updated
Citation
Clinical Pharmacist, CP, October 2016, Vol 8, No 10;8(10):DOI:10.1211/PJ.2016.20201697

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