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Divíšek T, Numerato D. Leaky bodies, vaccination and three layers of memory: bio-immune, social-collective and lived experience. HEALTH SOCIOLOGY REVIEW : THE JOURNAL OF THE HEALTH SECTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2024; 33:73-88. [PMID: 38442743 DOI: 10.1080/14461242.2024.2320223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
This paper focuses on the omnipresent yet analytically almost invisible role of memory and bodily experiences in childhood vaccination. Previous scholarship on the sociocultural aspects of vaccination has primarily focused on the individual and sociodemographic factors underpinning vaccine hesitancy, the role of healthcare professionals and the politicisation or mediatisation of vaccination. Social practices considering vaccination were primarily explored as a matter of the present. Only little consideration was given to the past, individual biographies and sociohistorical temporalities. To complement this body of work, we focus on cognitively-based, embodied and emotionally-experienced memory related to vaccination. Based on a qualitative study of childhood vaccination conducted in Czechia between 2017 and 2019 consisting of ethnographic observations, in-depth interviews and a document review, we identified three interconnected forms of vaccination memory: bio-immune, social-collective and lived experience. Bio-immune memory refers to the body's physical memory, gained to protect itself from diseases. Social-collective memory focuses on socially shared narratives about diseases and vaccination in the past. The memory of lived experience refers to feelings, embodied knowledge and pain. Our findings may inspire further analysis of childhood vaccination in other geographical contexts and amidst the reconfiguration of attitudes and newly established memories following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tereza Divíšek
- Institute of Sociological Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague
| | - Dino Numerato
- Institute of Sociological Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague
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Budigan Ni H, de Broucker G, Patenaude BN, Dudley MZ, Hampton LM, Salmon DA. Economic impact of vaccine safety incident in Ukraine: The economic case for safety system investment. Vaccine 2023; 41:219-225. [PMID: 36435704 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vaccine confidence and coverage decreased following a death temporally but not causally related to measles vaccination in Ukraine in 2008. Large measles outbreaks including international exportations followed. Herein we characterize this experience including associated costs. METHODS Mixed-methods were used to characterize this vaccine safety incident and quantify health and economic costs. Qualitative interviews illuminate the incident, social climate, and corruption that influenced vaccine confidence in Ukraine. A literature review explored attitudes toward vaccines in the USSR and post-independence Ukraine. Infectious disease incidence was examined before and after the vaccine safety incident. An economic analysis estimated associated healthcare costs, including prevention and outbreak control measures, additional vaccination activities due to failure of the 2008 campaign, treatment costs for new cases domestically and foreign exportation, and productivity loss from treatment time and mortality for new cases. FINDINGS Vaccine hesitancy and distrust in government and public health programs due to corruption existed in Ukraine before the vaccine safety incident. The mishandling of the 2008 incident catalyzed the decline of vaccine confidence and prompted poor procurement decisions, leading to a drop in infant vaccination coverage, increased domestic measles cases, and exportation of measles. The estimated cost of this incident was approximately $140 million from 2008 to 2018. INTERPRETATION Absent a rapid and credible vaccine safety response, a coincidental death following immunization resulted in major outbreaks of measles with substantial economic costs. Adequate investments in a post-licensure safety system may help avoid similar future incidents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley Budigan Ni
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Institute for Vaccine Safety, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Office of Health Equity, California Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Pkwy, Unit F175, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Gatien de Broucker
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; International Vaccine Access Center, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Bryan N Patenaude
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; International Vaccine Access Center, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Matthew Z Dudley
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Institute for Vaccine Safety, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Lee M Hampton
- Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Global Health Campus, Chemin du Pommier 40, 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland
| | - Daniel A Salmon
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Institute for Vaccine Safety, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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Osborne J, Goncharova M, Germanovich M, Koshalko O, Kutalek R, Dückers M, Rodyna R. Locating vaccine uptake and public participation in Ukraine: An exploratory qualitative study on attitudes and barriers to early childhood vaccination. Glob Public Health 2023; 18:2267643. [PMID: 37820044 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2023.2267643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
A growing body of literature on vaccine hesitancy considers context and the intersecting factors affecting vaccine uptake. This study attempts to add focus to the conversation of vaccines in Ukraine by exploring how vaccines are perceived and how local stakeholders envision solutions to the problems surrounding vaccine uptake. Twenty-five in-depth interviews were carried out among parents of children under 6 years of age as well as health practitioners and other experts in Ukraine. Results were presented to stakeholders during a dialogue session to discuss the implications for policy recommendations. The Roma parents interviewed faced structural barriers to vaccine access, while other groups received vaccine information from others in their communities, such as family members or religious organisations. Mistrust of the health system and lack of access to reliable information preceded many doubts parents expressed surrounding vaccines. Stakeholders agreed that better, more targeted communication strategies are needed, as well as increased engagement with and training of medical practitioners. Qualitative methods allowed for a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the factors contributing to low vaccine uptake, of which vaccine hesitancy is only one part. The vulnerability-informed approach used may have broader applications for community engagement and responding to infectious diseases and crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Osborne
- Nivel - Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Goncharova
- Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Oksana Koshalko
- Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Ruth Kutalek
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michel Dückers
- Nivel - Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, The Netherlands
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Vojtek I, Larson H, Plotkin S, Van Damme P. Evolving measles status and immunization policy development in six European countries. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2022; 18:2031776. [PMID: 35180372 PMCID: PMC9009904 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2031776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing and implementing new immunization policies in response to shifting epidemiology is a critical public health component. We adopted a mixed-methods approach (via narrative literature review [101 articles] and 9 semi-structured interviews) to evaluate policy development in response to shifting measles epidemiology in six European countries (Italy, Belgium, Germany, Romania, UK, and Ukraine); where policies and strategies have evolved in response to country-specific disease and vaccination patterns. Periodic outbreaks have occurred in all countries against a background of declining measles-containing-vaccine (MCV) uptake and increasing public vaccine hesitancy (with substantial regional or social differences in measles burden and vaccine uptake). Health-care worker (HCW) vaccine skepticism is also seen. While many outbreaks arise or involve specific susceptible populations (e.g., minority/migrant communities), the broader pattern is spread to the wider (and generally older) population; often among incompletely/non-vaccinated individuals as a legacy of previous low uptake. Immunization policy and strategic responses are influenced by political and social factors, where public mistrust contributes to vaccine hesitancy. A strong centralized immunization framework (allied with effective regional implementation and coherent political commitment) can effectively increase uptake. Mandatory vaccination has increased childhood MCV uptake in Italy, and similar benefits could be anticipated for other countries considering vaccine mandates. Although possible elsewhere, socio-political considerations render mandating impractical in other countries, where targeted immunization activities to bolster routine uptake are more important. Addressing HCW skepticism, knowledge gaps, improving access and increasing public/community engagement and education to address vaccine hesitancy/mistrust (especially in communities with specific unmet needs) is critical.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heidi Larson
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Stanley Plotkin
- University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Doylestown, PA, USA.,Vaxconsult, Doylestown, PA, USA
| | - Pierre Van Damme
- Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine & Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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Vaccine hesitancy in Western and Eastern Europe: The significance of contextual influences. BULLETIN DE L'INSTITUT ETNOGRAPHIQUE 2022. [DOI: 10.2298/gei2203153t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Using the example of Eastern and Western Europe, the paper points out the
importance of contextual influences on decisions and behaviour regarding
vaccines and vaccination. Contextual determinants have been identified as
important in theorizing the concept of vaccine hesitancy that allows for a
comprehensive understanding of the reasons why the public questions
vaccines. Therefore, the paper first presents the theoretical elaboration of
the aforementioned concept, and then discusses the contextual influences on
vaccine hesitancy within the European region in order to showcase the
differences that exist in this respect between Western and Eastern Europe,
as well as between certain minority communities and the majority population
in some Western European countries. In all cases, vaccine hesitancy appears
to be a matter of trust which has been further eroded by social, political
and economic experiences characteristic for the post-socialist context in
Eastern Europe and the conditions in which some minority communities live in
Western Europe. The theoretical framework of the concept of vaccine
hesitancy is presented according to the report of the SAGE Working Group on
Vaccine Hesitancy, while the presentation of contextual determinants is
based on the results of quantitative and qualitative research in different
European countries and reviews of studies that focus on these influences.
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Lehner L, Gribi J, Hoffmann K, Paul KT, Kutalek R. Beyond the "information deficit model" - understanding vaccine-hesitant attitudes of midwives in Austria: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:1671. [PMID: 34521378 PMCID: PMC8442326 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11710-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Healthcare workers are considered key stakeholders in efforts to address vaccine hesitancy. Midwives' influence in advising expectant parents on early-childhood vaccinations is unquestioned, yet they remain an understudied group. The literature on midwives' attitudes towards vaccinations is also inconclusive. We therefore conducted an explorative qualitative study on midwives' vaccine-hesitant attitudes towards MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccinations in Austria. METHODS We conducted 12 in-depth interviews on their knowledge, concerns, and beliefs with midwives who self-identified as hesitant or resistant towards early-childhood MMR vaccinations. We analyzed the data using a grounded theory approach to distill common themes and meanings. RESULTS Healthcare workers' stewardship to address vaccine hesitancy is commonly framed in terms of the "information deficit model": disseminate the right information and remedy publics' information deficits. Our findings suggest that this approach is too simplistic: Midwives' professional self-understanding, their notions of "good care" and "good parenthood" inflect how they engage with vaccine information and how they address it to their clients. Midwives' model of care prioritized good counseling rather than sharing scientific information in a "right the wrong"-manner. They saw themselves as critical consumers of that information and as promoting "empowered patients" who were free, and affluent enough, to make their own choices about vaccinations. In so doing, they also often promoted traditional notions of motherhood. CONCLUSIONS Research shows that, for parents, vaccine decision-making builds on trust and dialogue with healthcare professionals and is more than a technical issue. In order to foster these interactions, understanding healthcare professionals' means of engaging with information is key to understanding how they engage with their constituents. Healthcare workers are more than neutral resources; their daily praxis influenced by their professional standing in the healthcare system. Similarly, healthcare professionals' views on vaccinations cannot be remedied with more information either. Building better and more diverse curricula for different groups of healthcare workers must attend to their respective roles, ethics of care, and professional beliefs. Taken together, better models for addressing vaccine hesitancy can only be developed by espousing a multi-faceted view of decision-making processes and interactions of healthcare workers with constituents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Lehner
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria ,grid.5386.8000000041936877XPresent Address: Department of Science & Technology Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York USA ,grid.511277.7Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI), Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Janna Gribi
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kathryn Hoffmann
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina T. Paul
- grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ruth Kutalek
- grid.22937.3d0000 0000 9259 8492Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Yu VG, Lasco G, David CC. Fear, mistrust, and vaccine hesitancy: Narratives of the dengue vaccine controversy in the Philippines. Vaccine 2021; 39:4964-4972. [PMID: 34330555 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.07.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This article applies a qualitative approach to the 2017 dengue vaccine controversy involving Sanofi Pasteur's Dengvaxia to understand vaccine hesitancy and related anxieties in contemporary Philippines. Through a multisited project that investigated the health aspirations and lived experiences of low- and middle-income Filipinos across urban and rural Philippines, this article distills the perspectives of both ordinary community members and health workers in local and national capacities regarding the controversy-and how it altered their perceptions toward vaccines, health care, and government. Our study reveals widespread mistrust and fear in the communities toward both the state and health institutions following the controversy, with frontline health workers bearing the brunt of the communities' apprehensions, and the media partly responsible in fomenting these fears. Given the repetitive nature of health and vaccine controversies, this article suggests the importance of responsible journalism, well-calibrated crisis communications, and a people-centered health paradigm that involves exploring local contexts of vaccine hesitancy and mining people's lived experiences in tackling present and future health crises-especially now in the advent of COVID-19 vaccinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincen Gregory Yu
- School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines; Development Studies Program, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines.
| | - Gideon Lasco
- School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines; Development Studies Program, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines; Department of Anthropology, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
| | - Clarissa C David
- School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines
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Vanderslott S, Marks T. Charting mandatory childhood vaccination policies worldwide. Vaccine 2021; 39:4054-4062. [PMID: 34119351 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.04.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Mandatory childhood vaccination is becoming an increasingly important policy intervention for governments trying to address low vaccination rates. Mandates require vaccination for a certain purpose, most commonly related to school entry for children. However, the discussion surrounding the extent and impact of mandatory vaccination programmes for babies and children have largely been limited to high-income countries. While many recent publications discuss the issue, they have not been inclusive of low- and middle-income countries. This paper thus presents a comprehensive and updatable database of mandatory childhood vaccination policies worldwide, covering 149 countries. The list indicates whether a country has a mandatory vaccination policy and the strictness of the mandate on a scale ranging across three levels of mandatory, mandatory for school entry or recommended. It draws on extensive desk-based research analysing a variety of sources, supplemented by consultations with experts from various health authorities. The paper provides an overview of the state of mandatory childhood vaccination across different World Health Organization (WHO) regions and with country case studies, setting out the general trends and issues, and engages with a discussion about why, how, and where mandatory vaccination is put in place. Our findings show in-country variation in vaccination policy and a variation between vaccination in policy compared to in practice. We observe, particularly for high-income countries, that the occurrence of recent outbreaks is a major factor for the introduction of mandatory vaccination. Also, many low- and middle- income countries have resorted to mandatory vaccination policies because of a lack of other policy options yet still have lower than targeted vaccination rates due to problems with vaccine supply, delivery, and access. Offering comparisons between countries will provide a useful tool for government decision-makers considering the merits of mandatory vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Vanderslott
- Oxford Vaccine Group and Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine (CCVTM), Old Road, Oxford OX3 7LE, United Kingdom.
| | - Tatjana Marks
- Oxford Vaccine Group and Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine (CCVTM), Old Road, Oxford OX3 7LE, United Kingdom
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Numerato D, Honová PA, Sedláčková T. Politicisation, depoliticisation, and repoliticisation of health care controversies: Vaccination and mental health care reform in the Czech Republic. Soc Sci Med 2021; 277:113916. [PMID: 33878664 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
This article analyses the politicisation of public health debates by focusing on vaccination and mental health care in the Czech Republic. The mainstream understanding of politicisation commonly refers to politics-as-sphere, linked with the political instrumentalisation of health care controversies as part of electoral campaigning and power struggles. In our analysis, we conceive politicisation more broadly, as politics-as-activity, which encompasses the role of civic engagement and the involvement of patients in these processes. We thus view politicisation as a process which encompasses a plurality of political actors and, in addition to politicians, includes patients, users, carers, citizens, and experts. Our analysis draws on extensive empirical evidence, consisting of observations, semi-structured interviews, and a review of available documents. The study took place in the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2019. We conclude that politicisation takes place alongside four dimensions: (1) contingency, (2) agency, (3) a plurality of opinions and approaches, and (4) visibility. We further argue that the contingent nature of biomedical controversies is articulated in three different, possibly interconnected layers. Thus, the politicisation of the two Czech analysed cases refers to (a) uncertainties and problematic aspects of biomedical objects of controversy; to (b) social rights, economic needs, and legal aspects as well as social representations of illness and vaccinations in the public debate; and to (c) the political processes which determine the previous two layers of politicisation, labelled as meta-politicisation. Last but not least, we stress the dynamic and non-linear nature of politicisation processes, the varieties of connections between the third sector and expertise, and the necessity to analyse the politicisation of public health controversies hand in hand with its connection to depoliticisation and repoliticisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dino Numerato
- Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Petra A Honová
- Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Tereza Sedláčková
- Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic.
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Abstract
AIMS This article examines the reasons for partial and complete refusal of childhood vaccination as reported by parents in Finland. It analyzes perceptions and experiences central in vaccination decisions. METHODS The analysis is based on 38 in-depth interviews with Finnish parents who have refused all or several vaccines for their children. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS Three categories of reasons were identified in the analysis: 1) risks and effects of vaccination - concern about and/or experiences of possible side-effects was the most important reason for avoiding vaccines; 2) distrust - participants did not trust vaccination recommendations made by health officials and medical professionals due to perceived bias in medical research, ties between health officials and the pharmaceutical industry, and personal experiences of (suspected) adverse effects and the way these concerns were received in healthcare institutions; 3) health perceptions and practices - parents supported their vaccination choices with complementary and alternative medicine treatments and alternative health understandings. Many stated that contracting vaccine-preventable illnesses would provide longer lasting and more 'natural' immunity than vaccination, and possibly other health benefits. CONCLUSIONS A loss of trust in medical and public health actors was central to the process in which parents came to question, contest, and eventually refuse childhood vaccination. The adverse effects of the Pandemrix vaccine in 2009-2010 have been important in leading to distrust and contestation. Distrust may relate to personal experiences of (suspected) adverse effects or to broader concerns over the neutrality of health authorities and the trustworthiness of medical research.
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Ganczak M, Bielecki K, Drozd-Dąbrowska M, Topczewska K, Biesiada D, Molas-Biesiada A, Dubiel P, Gorman D. Vaccination concerns, beliefs and practices among Ukrainian migrants in Poland: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:93. [PMID: 33413287 PMCID: PMC7789884 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-10105-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ukrainians numbering approximately 1.2 million are the largest migrant group in Poland. Data on vaccination coverage among migrants are not collected in EU, including Poland. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to identify vaccination practices in this migrant group, to explore facilitators and barriers to vaccination and related access to Polish healthcare services. METHODS In September 2019, a qualitative study of Ukrainian migrants (UMs) living in Szczecin, Poland, and recruited through a snowball sampling method, was conducted. Using a semi-structured topic guide, four focus groups were held with 22 UMs aged 18-45. Participants were asked about their attitudes towards vaccination in general with comparison between services in Poland and Ukraine. Following transcription and translation, a thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS Respondents were distrustful of Ukrainian vaccination policy, medical personnel and individual vaccines, however, they often returned to Ukraine for dental and gynaecological appoint-ments. While critical with regards to registering with Polish GPs practices, UMs were confident in health professionals, as well as vaccine delivery. Vaccines were perceived as safer and of better quality than in Ukraine. Difficulties in translating vaccination records were rarely reported, verbal communi-cation was not problematic due to language similarities. All UM parents reported vaccinating their children according to the Polish schedule. However, a significant number of adult UMs have not completed mandatory vaccinations, although they may have obtained false immunization certificates; according to UMs those can be obtained by bribing. Participants reported lower acceptance of the influenza vaccine, mainly due to perceptions around its importance; none had been vaccinated against influenza. None of UMs had heard of the HPV vaccine. UMs experienced challenges in accessing credible online vaccination information in Ukrainian, no official local health authority vaccination material existed either, except for information about measles. CONCLUSIONS This study pinpointed positive UM attitudes and practices regarding child vaccination in the Polish healthcare system and identified issues for improvement, such as adult vaccination. Health communication should be more tailored within UMs information delivery systems to enable migrants to make informed choices about vaccination. Further research is needed to better assess factors affecting vaccine uptake identified in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ganczak
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Collegium Medicum, University of Zielona Gora, Zyty 28, 71-210, Zielona Gora, Poland.
| | - Klaudia Bielecki
- Department of Public Health & Health Policy, NHS Lothian, 56 Canaan Lane, Edinburgh, EH10 4SG, UK
| | | | | | - Daniel Biesiada
- Primary Medicine Clinic "Lancet", Szkolna 9, 73-240, Bierzwnik, Poland
| | | | - Paulina Dubiel
- Pomeranian Medical University, Rybacka 1, 70-204, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Dermot Gorman
- Department of Public Health & Health Policy, NHS Lothian, 56 Canaan Lane, Edinburgh, EH10 4SG, UK
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Vanderslott S, Marks T. Travel restrictions as a disease control measure: Lessons from yellow fever. Glob Public Health 2020; 16:340-353. [PMID: 32772788 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2020.1805786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Travel restrictions have become a common disease control measure during the 2019 Coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). Measures have ranged from quarantines when entering a country to outright travel bans. Yet more widespread travel restrictions in the form of country vaccine entry requirements have been in place for a long time for another disease - yellow fever. We track the historical underpinnings and policy developments that have led to stringent vaccine entry requirements today. We also discuss the political issues raised by health measures imposed on borders and discuss the reasons behind some clear regional differences. Almost no European countries currently have vaccine entry requirements, while at the other end of the spectrum, the majority of countries in the African region do, making vaccine entry requirements a global south phenomenon. We argue that vaccine entry requirements should be reassessed in the future as an underused public health tool, likely to become increasingly common. Vaccine entry requirements have proved effective in controlling the international spread of yellow fever but more can be done to ensure better use of this measure. Caution is needed due to the close links between public health and politics, evident since the first travel restriction in quarantines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tatjana Marks
- Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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13
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Lasco G, Larson HJ. Medical populism and immunisation programmes: Illustrative examples and consequences for public health. Glob Public Health 2019; 15:334-344. [DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2019.1680724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gideon Lasco
- Department of Anthropology, University of the Philippines Diliman Quezon City, Philippines
- Development Studies Program, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Heidi J. Larson
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Wyndham-West M, Durand N, Santoro A. Betwixt and Between Well and Sick in Cervical Precancer: Canadian Women's Experiences of Recurring HPV Infections and HPV Vaccination. Can J Nurs Res 2018; 50:120-132. [PMID: 29759001 DOI: 10.1177/0844562118763496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This research fuses the experiences of a precancer diagnosis with the decision-making surrounding a vaccine that can protect against human papillomavirus strains that women may not have been exposed to. The interviewee cohort is of note as half the women were in their 30s and 40s and 75% were over the age of 26. These groupings are often overlooked in media discourses and narrative research surrounding human papillomavirus and the human papillomavirus vaccine. Purpose Womens' diagnoses and treatment experiences, including colposcopies, biopsies, and Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedures, are chronicled to highlight a liminal, precancerous state-one in which they are not deemed healthy, but nor have they been diagnosed with cancer. These are emotion-filled experiences that are ridden with anxiety and fear, but also ones that are structured with self-care strategies to contain human papillomavirus infections and the risk of cervical cancer. Methods Twenty women who attended Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre's human papillomavirus vaccination clinic were interviewed and their narratives were documented and analyzed to determine their experiences surrounding human papillomavirus infections and precancer as well as their motivations for human papillomavirus vaccination. Results The decision to undergo human papillomavirus vaccination was a self-care strategy that accompanied treatment procedures and was a means to reduce cervical cancer risk. While encouraged with the human papillomavirus vaccine's potential to curb cervical cancer, they had a tempered view of the vaccine and its effectiveness in their cases, given their medical histories. Conclusions The research provides an in-depth accounting of an often overlooked grouping in human papillomavirus and human papillomavirus vaccination research and media discourse which, generally, focuses upon middle-school-aged girls and university-/college-aged women. In addition, the research provides recommendations for practice for cervical precancer diagnoses going forward.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nancy Durand
- 2 Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aimee Santoro
- 3 Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Manca T. "One of the greatest medical success stories:" Physicians and nurses' small stories about vaccine knowledge and anxieties. Soc Sci Med 2017; 196:182-189. [PMID: 29195189 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the Canadian province of Alberta experienced outbreaks of measles, mumps, pertussis, and influenza. Even so, the dominant cultural narrative maintains that vaccines are safe, effective, and necessary to maintain population health. Many vaccine supporters have expressed anxieties that stories contradicting this narrative have lowered herd immunity levels because they frighten the public into avoiding vaccination. As such, vaccine policies often emphasize educating parents and the public about the importance and safety of vaccination. These policies rely on health professionals to encourage vaccine uptake and assume that all professionals support vaccination. Health professionals, however, are socially positioned between vaccine experts (such as immunologists) and non-experts (the wider public). In this article, I discuss health professionals' anxieties about the potential risks associated with vaccination and with the limitations of Alberta's immunisation program. Specifically, I address the question: If medical knowledge overwhelmingly supports vaccination, then why do some professionals continue to question certain vaccines? To investigate this topic, I interviewed twenty-seven physicians and seven nurses. With stock images and small stories that interviewees shared about their vaccine anxieties, I challenge the common assumption that all health professionals support vaccines uncritically. All interviewees provided generic statements that supported vaccination and Alberta's immunisation program, but they expressed anxieties when I asked for details. I found that their anxieties reflected nuances that the culturally dominant vaccine narrative overlooks. Particularly, they critiqued the influence that pharmaceutical companies, the perceived newness of specific vaccines, and the limitations of medical knowledge and vaccine schedules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terra Manca
- Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, 5-21 HM Tory Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H4, Canada.
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Ames HMR, Glenton C, Lewin S. Parents' and informal caregivers' views and experiences of communication about routine childhood vaccination: a synthesis of qualitative evidence. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; 2:CD011787. [PMID: 28169420 PMCID: PMC5461870 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd011787.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood vaccination is an effective way to prevent serious childhood illnesses, but many children do not receive all the recommended vaccines. There are various reasons for this; some parents lack access because of poor quality health services, long distances or lack of money. Other parents may not trust vaccines or the healthcare workers who provide them, or they may not see the need for vaccination due to a lack of information or misinformation about how vaccinations work and the diseases they can prevent.Communication with parents about childhood vaccinations is one way of addressing these issues. Communication can take place at healthcare facilities, at home or in the community. Communication can be two-way, for example face-to-face discussions between parents and healthcare providers, or one-way, for instance via text messages, posters or radio programmes. Some types of communication enable parents to actively discuss vaccines and their benefits and harms, as well as diseases they can prevent. Other communication types simply give information about vaccination issues or when and where vaccines are available. People involved in vaccine programmes need to understand how parents experience different types of communication about vaccination and how this influences their decision to vaccinate. OBJECTIVES The specific objectives of the review were to identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative studies exploring: parents' and informal caregivers' views and experiences regarding communication about childhood vaccinations and the manner in which it is communicated; and the influence that vaccination communication has on parents' and informal caregivers' decisions regarding childhood vaccination. SEARCH METHODS We searched MEDLINE (OvidSP), MEDLINE In-process and Other Non-Index Citations (Ovid SP), Embase (Ovid), CINAHL (EbscoHOST), and Anthropology Plus (EbscoHost) databases for eligible studies from inception to 30 August 2016. We developed search strategies for each database, using guidelines developed by the Cochrane Qualitative Research Methods Group for searching for qualitative evidence as well as modified versions of the search developed for three related reviews of effectiveness. There were no date or geographic restrictions for the search. SELECTION CRITERIA We included studies that utilised qualitative methods for data collection and analysis; focused on the views and experiences of parents and informal caregivers regarding information about vaccination for children aged up to six years; and were from any setting globally where information about childhood vaccinations was communicated or distributed. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We used maximum variation purposive sampling for data synthesis, using a three-step sampling frame. We conducted a thematic analysis using a constant comparison strategy for data extraction and synthesis. We assessed our confidence in the findings using the GRADE-CERQual approach. High confidence suggests that it is highly likely that the review finding is a reasonable representation of the phenomenon of interest, while very low confidence indicates that it is not clear whether the review finding is a reasonable representation of it. Using a matrix model, we then integrated our findings with those from other Cochrane reviews that assessed the effects of different communication strategies on parents' knowledge, attitudes and behaviour about childhood vaccination. MAIN RESULTS We included 38 studies, mostly from high-income countries, many of which explored mothers' perceptions of vaccine communication. Some focused on the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.In general, parents wanted more information than they were getting (high confidence in the evidence). Lack of information led to worry and regret about vaccination decisions among some parents (moderate confidence).Parents wanted balanced information about vaccination benefits and harms (high confidence), presented clearly and simply (moderate confidence) and tailored to their situation (low confidence in the evidence). Parents wanted vaccination information to be available at a wider variety of locations, including outside health services (low confidence) and in good time before each vaccination appointment (moderate confidence).Parents viewed health workers as an important source of information and had specific expectations of their interactions with them (high confidence). Poor communication and negative relationships with health workers sometimes impacted on vaccination decisions (moderate confidence).Parents generally found it difficult to know which vaccination information source to trust and challenging to find information they felt was unbiased and balanced (high confidence).The amount of information parents wanted and the sources they felt could be trusted appeared to be linked to acceptance of vaccination, with parents who were more hesitant wanting more information (low to moderate confidence).Our synthesis and comparison of the qualitative evidence shows that most of the trial interventions addressed at least one or two key aspects of communication, including the provision of information prior to the vaccination appointment and tailoring information to parents' needs. None of the interventions appeared to respond to negative media stories or address parental perceptions of health worker motives. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS We have high or moderate confidence in the evidence contributing to several review findings. Further research, especially in rural and low- to middle-income country settings, could strengthen evidence for the findings where we had low or very low confidence. Planners should consider the timing for making vaccination information available to parents, the settings where information is available, the provision of impartial and clear information tailored to parental needs, and parents' perceptions of health workers and the information provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather MR Ames
- Norwegian Institute of Public HealthGlobal Health UnitPilestredet Park 7OsloNorway0130
- University of OsloInstitute of Health and SocietyOsloNorway
| | - Claire Glenton
- Norwegian Institute of Public HealthGlobal Health UnitPilestredet Park 7OsloNorway0130
| | - Simon Lewin
- Norwegian Institute of Public HealthPO Box 4404OsloNorway0403
- Medical Research Council of South AfricaHealth Systems Research UnitPO Box 19070TygerbergSouth Africa7505
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Giles-Vernick T, Traoré A, Bainilago L. Incertitude, Hepatitis B, and Infant Vaccination in West and Central Africa. Med Anthropol Q 2016; 30:203-21. [PMID: 25624042 DOI: 10.1111/maq.12187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
This comparative study explores incertitude about hepatitis B (HBV) and its implications for childhood vaccination in Bangui, Central African Republic, and the Cascades region, Burkina Faso. Anthropological approaches to vaccination, which counter stereotypes of "ignorant" publics needing education to accept vaccination, excavate alternative ways of knowing about illness and vaccination. We build on these approaches, evaluating different kinds of incertitude (ambiguity, uncertainty, ignorance) about infancy, HBV, health protection, and vaccination. Using interviews and participant observation, we find that Bangui and Cascades publics framed their incertitude differently through stories of infancy, illness, and protection. We locate different forms of incertitude within their historical contexts to illuminate why vaccination practices differ in the Cascades region and Bangui. A more nuanced approach to incomplete knowledge, situated in political, economic, and social histories of the state and vaccination, can contribute to more appropriate global health strategies to improve HBV prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Abdoulaye Traoré
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme and Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Louis Bainilago
- Department of Anthropology, Université de Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic
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Koch E. Negotiating "The Social" and Managing Tuberculosis in Georgia. JOURNAL OF BIOETHICAL INQUIRY 2016; 13:47-55. [PMID: 26738742 DOI: 10.1007/s11673-015-9689-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In this paper I utilize anthropological insights to illuminate how health professionals and patients navigate and negotiate what for them is social about tuberculosis in order to improve treatment outcomes and support patients as human beings. I draw on ethnographic research about the implementation of the DOTS (Directly Observed Therapy, Short Course) approach in Georgia's National Tuberculosis Program in the wake of the Soviet healthcare system. Georgia is a particularly unique context for exploring these issues given the country's rich history of medical professionalism and the insistence that the practice of medicine is a moral commitment to society. I argue for critical attention to the ways in which treatment recipients and providers navigate what, for them, is "social" about therapeutic practices and their significance for avoiding biological and social reductionism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Koch
- Department of Anthropology, University of Kentucky, 211 Lafferty Hall, Lexington, KY, 40506-0024, USA.
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Koch E. Tuberculosis is a threshold: the making of a social disease in post-Soviet Georgia. Med Anthropol 2013; 32:309-24. [PMID: 23768217 DOI: 10.1080/01459740.2012.751384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
In this article I use Margaret Lock's concept of local biology as a standpoint to view tuberculosis as a threshold where distinctions between social and biological aspects of disease are negotiated. I conceptualize tuberculosis as a threshold in two ways: first as a passageway, and second as a space for navigating the limits of tolerance to therapeutics. The article is based on ethnographic research about responses to tuberculosis in post-Soviet Georgia. I focus on how health professionals and patients make claims to social aspects of illness by recuperating historical examples for tuberculosis treatment as a moral commitment to society, and in the context of emergent patient-centered treatment services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Koch
- Department of Anthropology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA.
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