Vaccine Hesitance
Vaccine hesitance or even refusal is on the rise in Europe and elsewhere in the world.
“We can see from behavioral insights that, during COVID, people’s trust on vaccines, healthcare systems, and the government in general has gone down,” said Dr. Datta. “There had been skepticism before about the MMR jab causing autism, which was proved wrong, but vaccine skepticism shown throughout COVID is now showing its head in routine vaccine systems.”
The rise of so-called anti-vaxxers and associated fake conspiracy theories, including a mistrust of Big Pharma, hasn’t been helpful for encouraging essential childhood vaccination uptake, like measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR).
But the MMR vaccine backslide does not only originate in the pandemic.
Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “MMR vaccine coverage has been falling for the last decade, with 1 out of 10 children starting school in England not protected.”
It could be that some people have religious concerns about the use of pork gelatin as a stabilizer in MMR vaccines. An alternative vaccine that does not contain pork gelatin can be requested.
Doctors and others in healthcare have a pivotal role to play when it comes to getting on top of the surges and educating patients, according to Dr. Bacci. “Healthcare professionals are the most precious resource we have, as they are the ones on the frontline explaining the importance of vaccination to their patients. It’s a very important dialogue.”
Clinics and Catch-Up Campaigns
Intensified routine immunization clinics and catch-up campaigns have been established in countries across Europe where they are needed.
Countries with large outbreaks are carrying out case investigations, identifying and vaccinating susceptible contacts, and generally raising awareness and implementing outbreak response immunization.
“Countries are really making good efforts and are systematically catching up the children who have missed their doses in the last 2 years. But the recovery to the 2019 levels has been slow, and more efforts and energy [need] to be put into this. We understand healthcare systems are stretched out from COVID, but this is not the time to lower our guard,” Dr. Datta said.
“Some countries are more proactive than others,” added Dr. Bassat. “Measles is an example of a disease where you typically organize catch-up campaigns. Measles has one of the highest reproductive numbers, as in the absence of preventive measures one infected person infects 14-16 others.”
All countries, even if they haven’t yet experienced measles outbreaks, are being urged by European healthcare authorities to look at potential immunity gaps and address them immediately.
When Will It Get Back to Normal?
“Measles was a disease that was targeted for elimination, but because of these outbreaks, we are seeing it almost everywhere again. We need to be careful and get on top of this,” warned Dr. Bassat.
Dr. Datta said it’s up to member states, decision-makers, healthcare leaders, and parents to come together to raise the immunity profiles of the European population. “Vaccination is a shared responsibility. The tools are effective. We just need to be ahead of the virus, and that is the challenge.”
Dr. Bacci added, “We have to remember we are entering the spring, which is a season when, traditionally, the disease can spread more easily, and it can find its way when people are susceptible. The vaccine is the tool that can help, and we have to act now and make sure it’s offered on time.”
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.