Search

Copyright of Cadernos de Saude Publica is the property of Escola Nacional de Saude Publica Sergio Arouca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACT Objective To estimate measles-mumps-rubella vaccination coverage, delay and loss to follow-up in children up to 24 months old living in Brazilian cities. Methods Surveys and questionnaires with a retrospective cohort of live births in 2017-2018, analyzing vaccination coverage and sociodemographic data of children and families, based on vaccination card records and interviews. Results Valid coverage of first dose was 90.0% (95%CI 88.9;91.0) and 81.1% for the second dose (95%CI 79.8;82.4). Delay for both doses was 23.2% (95%CI 21.9;24.5) and loss to follow-up was 10.8% (95%CI 9.9;11.8). Socioeconomic stratum A had the lowest vaccination coverage and the higher the child’s birth order, the lower the vaccination coverage for the second dose. Children whose mothers had 13 to 15 years of education had higher vaccination coverage. Conclusion Coverage did not meet the recommended target. Differentiated strategies to resolve difficulties in access, misinformation, and vaccination hesitancy will help improve vaccination coverage.

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate vaccination coverage and delay in vaccine dose administration in infants in six municipalities in the Southern region of Brazil. Methodology National Vaccination Coverage Survey 2020, with infants born alive in 2017 and 2018, carried out from September 2020 to March 2022. Coverage of doses administered, doses administered on time and delay in dose administration were evaluated. Results For 4681 infants analyzed, coverage for vaccines recommended up to 24 months was 68.0% (95%CI 63.9;71.8%) for doses administered and 3.9% (95%CI 2.7%;5.7%) for doses administered on time. Delay time for the majority of late vaccinations was ≤ 3 months. For some boosters, 25% of vaccine administration was delayed by ≥ 6 months. Conclusion In addition to tracking vaccine defaulters, strategies are needed to encourage compliance with the vaccination schedule at the recommended ages.

ABSTRACT Objective To describe vaccination coverage and hesitation for the basic children’s schedule in Belo Horizonte and Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Methods Population-based epidemiological surveys performed from 2020 to 2022, which estimated vaccine coverage by type of immunobiological product and full schedule (valid and ministered doses), according to socioeconomic strata; and reasons for vaccination hesitancy. Results Overall coverage with valid doses and vaccination hesitancy for at least one vaccine were, respectively, 50.2% (95%CI 44.1;56.2) and 1.6% (95%CI 0.9;2.7), in Belo Horizonte (n = 1,866), and 64.9% (95%CI 56.9;72.1) and 1.0% (95%CI 0.3;2.8), in Sete Lagoas (n = 451), with differences between socioeconomic strata. Fear of severe reactions was the main reason for vaccination hesitancy. Conclusion Coverage was identified as being below recommended levels for most vaccines. Disinformation should be combated in order to avoid vaccination hesitancy. There is a pressing need to recover coverages, considering public health service access and socioeconomic disparities.

Vaccines are often undervalued or underused for a variety of reasons, and vaccine hesitancy is a global challenge that threatens vaccine acceptance and the goals of immunization programs. This review aimed to describe the barriers and facilitators to vaccination in Latin America. The study design was a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies reporting on the knowledge or attitudes of adults, parents of children at vaccination age, adolescents and health professionals towards vaccination in Latin America. The databases searched were PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus, LILACS, SciELO, and CINAHL. A total of 56 studies were included. Facilitators included vaccination being recognized as an effective strategy for preventing infectious diseases and as a requirement for access to social assistance programs, schooling or employment. Recommendations from health professionals and positive experiences with health services were also identified as facilitators. The main barriers were lack of information or counseling, structural problems such as shortages of vaccines and limited hours of operation, the inability to afford over-the-counter vaccines or transportation to health facilities, certain religious beliefs, misconceptions and safety concerns. Qualitative research can contribute to understanding perceptions and decision-making about vaccination and to designing policies and interventions to increase coverage.

Objective. This study aimed to describe and critically evaluate the COVID-19 vaccination program for high-risk children in Curacao and provide information about important factors such as parents’ vaccination hesitancy and effective strategies for communicating and delivering information about vaccination. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study. It was important to identify children aged 12–17 years who were at high risk of severe COVID-19 infection because of the limited medical facilities on the island; children considered to be at high risk were those with diseases such as obesity, hypertension or diabetes mellitus type 2. These children or their caregivers were invited by their pediatricians to be vaccinated as part of a program run by the Public Health Department of Curacao. These high-risk patients were vaccinated between 30 May 2021 and 25 February 2022 in designated child-friendly spaces, with a pediatrician present for guidance and reassurance. Children received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the recommended dose for their age. The primary outcome was a description and evaluation of the attendance for vaccination. The secondary outcomes were side effects after vaccination for the age groups 12–15 years and 16–17 years. Reasons for refusal or nonadherence were also registered. Results. Altogether 51% (24/47) of those aged 16–17 years who were invited were vaccinated compared with 42% (26/69) of those aged 12–15 years who were invited. Altogether, 46% of these high-risk children were vaccinated compared with 48% of children aged 12–17 years without risk factors. In our population, most patients did not experience any side effects and if they did, the side effects were mild. No cases of myocarditis or pericarditis were observed. A lack of trust in the vaccine and a lack of prioritization of vaccination when scheduling daily activities were important factors in refusal and nonadherence. Conclusions. To organize a successful vaccination program in a small community with limited resources for treating high-risk children it is crucial for medical professionals to provide reliable information. Public health initiatives should focus on assuaging parents’ fears about vaccines. In addition, ensuring there is good cooperation between doctors and the Public Health Department can help to make implementation successful. Finally, involving pediatricians and using dedicated areas for vaccinating children can help build trust with parents and caregivers.

ABSTRACT Objective: The study aimed to analyze the factors that affect the community’s attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination in Tangerang District. Methods: A cross-sectional study was used. Convenience sampling was used to select 400 respondents. Inclusion criteria are living in Tangerang District, aged between 18 and 55, and earning a living. An online questionnaire was used and passed validity and reliability tests. This study received ethical approval. Results: Most respondents had a high level of education (48.50%), low income (72.50%), high knowledge (78%), and a positive attitude (76.50%) regarding vaccination against COVID-19. The Chi-square test revealed a correlation between knowledge and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination (p=0.001), as well as education levels (p=0.001), but there was no correlation between income and attitudes (p=0.094). Conclusions: Health professionals should engage in extensive socialization and face-to-face visits with people with limited access to information to promote a positive attitude and expand the scope of COVID-19 vaccination.

Copyright of Arquivos de Ciências da Saúde da UNIPAR is the property of Associacao Paranaense de Ensino e Cultura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

N/a.

This article presents the results of a study on health professionals' perceptions of childhood vaccine hesitancy related to COVID-19. Based on the theoretical construct of vaccine hesitancy, a qualitative study was conducted with 86 primary health care (PHC) workers in four municipalities in four Brazilian states and in the Federal District. A thematic analysis was performed and three categories were obtained: fear, misinformation about vaccines, and the role of health professionals. Fear as a reason for vaccine hesitancy has led to reflections on the Brazilian Federal Government's management of the pandemic, especially regarding governability and the consequences of the use of digital platforms on the population. Fear was related to the vaccine still being perceived as experimental; to the adverse reactions it may cause; to the lack of long-term studies; to the false perception of reduced risk of COVID-19 in children; and to the Federal Government's behavior, which creates uncertainty about the effects of the vaccine. Vaccine misinformation was related to fake news about the vaccine and its reactions; the phenomenon of infodemic and misinformation; and the lack of guidance and knowledge about vaccines. Finally, the article discusses the fundamental role of PHC workers in increasing vaccination coverage due to the trust among the population and proximity to the territories, factors that enable the reversal of fear and misinformation about vaccines. Throughout the study, authors' sought to show the convergences between the content of the themes outlined and the determinants of vaccine hesitancy and to consider possibilities for rebuilding high adherence to childhood vaccines.

Objective: To identify the prevalence of errors that caused events supposedly attributable to vaccination or immunization., Method: Systematic literature review with meta-analysis carried out on the Medline, Cochrane Library, Cinahl, Web of Science, Lilacs, Scopus; Embase; Open Grey; Google Scholar; and Grey Lit databases; with studies that presented the prevalence of immunization errors that caused events or that provided data that allowed this indicator to be calculated., Results: We evaluated 11 articles published between 2010 and 2021, indicating a prevalence of 0.044 errors per 10,000 doses administered (n=762; CI95%: 0.026 - 0.075; I2 = 99%, p < 0.01). The prevalence was higher in children under 5 (0.334 / 10,000 doses; n=14). The predominant events were fever, local pain, edema and redness., Conclusion: A low prevalence of errors causing events was identified. However, events supposedly attributable to vaccination or immunization can contribute to vaccine hesitancy and, consequently, have an impact on vaccination coverage.

Copyright of RIIS: Revista de Investigação & Inovação em Saúde is the property of RIIS: Revista de Investigacao & Inovacao em Saude and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of RIIS: Revista de Investigação & Inovação em Saúde is the property of RIIS: Revista de Investigacao & Inovacao em Saude and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objective is to unveil the reasons for vaccine hesitancy among parents and/or guardians of children and adolescents toward the prevention of COVID-19. This is a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach that seeks to analyze the answers to the open question "Why will you not vaccinate or have not vaccinated or are in doubt about vaccinating the children and adolescents under your responsibility, for the prevention of COVID-19?". The research included adult individuals, Brazilians, living in the country, responsible for children and adolescents under 18 years of age. Data collection took place electronically in November and December 2021. The answers were organized and processed with the support of the software Iramuteq. The textual corpus of this research was composed of the response of 1,896 participants, consisting of 87% who were hesitant (1,650) and 13% (246) of parents who intend to vaccinate but who outlined some doubts and considerations about the vaccination of children and adolescents. These are reasons why parents and/or guardians have not vaccinated or are in doubt about vaccinating the children and adolescents under their responsibility for the prevention of COVID-19: fears about vaccination regarding the conception that the vaccine is in the experimental phase, fear of adverse reactions and long-term effects. The reasons for the lack of intention to vaccinate stem from the understanding of the participants that COVID-19 in children is not serious, the risks of vaccination are greater than the benefits, and the right of choice not to vaccinate.

The global decline in vaccine coverage led the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 to define vaccine hesitation as one of the world's top ten threats to public health. In Brazil, the drop in vaccination coverage began in 2012, increasing from 2016, and was aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The warning of low vaccination coverage is accompanied by the reintroduction of immunopreventable diseases such as measles. The return of diseases so far eradicated, such as polio, can aggravate the ongoing health crisis. Despite the Brazilian National Immunization Program being recognized as one of the most effective worldwide and its continuous efforts, it is facing an extremely challenging scenario regarding immunization coverage. This article describes the Project for the Regaining of the High Vaccination Coverage (PRCV) and the strategy of working at the frontline, conducted in the local level, which has been implemented since 2021 and is already starting to show promising results. The PRCV was organized in three thematic axes with shared and specific actions, including: vaccination; information systems; communication and education. The outcomes achieved allow us to affirm that it is possible to reverse the low vaccination coverage, based on the articulation of structural and interinstitutional actions, with the strengthening of public policies and development of short-, medium-, and long-term measures. The most powerful factors of the PRCV are its approach to frontline professionals, the social pact for vaccination, and the establishment of local support networks for vaccinations.

This article aims to synthesize articles addressing fake news and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the context of public health. We conducted an integrative review of articles published in any language between 2019 and 2022 in journals indexed in the following databases: Latin American and the Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. A critical analysis was performed, guided by the research question and objective of the review. Eleven articles were selected, the overwhelming majority of which were cross-sectional studies. The main factors related to vaccine take-up highlighted by the studies were gender, age, education level, political leanings, religion, trust in health authorities, and perceptions of side-effects and vaccine efficacy. The main obstacles to attaining optimal vaccination coverage were vaccine hesitancy and disinformation. All studies addressed the relationship between low vaccination intention and the use of social media as a source of information about SARS-CoV-2. It is necessary to build public trust in vaccine safety and efficacy. Promoting a better understanding of the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination is essential to combat vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccine take-up.

This paper presents the evolution of fake news disseminated about vaccines and the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its adverse impacts on the current Brazilian health crisis. This quantitative, empirical study is based on the notifications received by the Eu Fiscalizo app, through which the Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp platforms were identified as the principal means for disseminating and sharing rumors and misinformation about COVID-19. We observed large-scale circulation of fake news about vaccines directly related to the Brazilian political polarization, which became prevalent four months after the first COVID-19 case was recorded in the country. We can conclude that this phenomenon was crucial in discouraging the adherence of segments of the Brazilian population to social distancing and vaccination campaigns.

The World Health Organization acknowledges vaccine hesitancy as one of the ten most serious global health threats. The study investigated the association between confidence, convenience, and complacency and influenza vaccine hesitancy among male and female health workers. The study included 453 workers in primary and medium-complexity health services in a medium-sized city in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Vaccine-hesitant individuals were defined as those who had not received an influenza vaccine in 2019. Structural equation models were used to assess interrelations between target predictive variables and vaccine hesitancy. One-fourth of the workers (25.4%) hesitated to be vaccinated for influenza. Lower confidence (standardized coefficient - SC = 0.261; p = 0.044) and higher complacency (SC = 0.256; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy. Convenience was not associated with vaccine hesitancy. Workers not involved in patient care, workers in medium-complexity services, and male workers reported less receptiveness from the health professional administering the vaccines. Fear of needles was associated with both lower confidence and greater vaccine hesitancy. History of vaccine reactions was not associated directly with vaccine hesitancy, but it was associated with greater complacency, that is, less perception of risk from vaccine-preventable diseases. Since annual influenza vaccination is recommended, influenza vaccine hesitancy can increase the burden of this disease in the population. The data back the hypothesis that factors related to confidence and complacency produce harms in this vaccine´s acceptance and should be considered in the development of strategies and actions for greater adherence to vaccination.

Objective: To determine prevalence and factors associated with intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 among older Brazilians., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on telephone interviews with participants of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) aged 60 years and over, conducted in 70 municipalities in March 2021., Results: Among the 4,364 participants (mean age = 70.1 years), 91.8% intended to get vaccinated or had already been vaccinated, 2.5% did not intend to get vaccinated and 5.7% were undecided. Participants living in the North and Southeast regions were more likely to want to get vaccinated, as were those with two or more chronic diseases. Those who learned about COVID-19 from friends/family/social media were more likely to be undecided about vaccination (odds ratio = 3.15; 95%CI 1.28;7.77)., Conclusion: The study identified one of the highest prevalence of intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 described in the literature to date.

Objective: To analyze factors associated with the incomplete timely vaccination schedule up to 12 months of age, in children born in 2015, in the municipality of Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso., Methods: Population survey, August/2017 to February/2018, which used the method proposed by the World Health Organization to collect information about routine vaccination. For analysis of the associated factors, the recommendations of the National Immunization Program of the Ministry of Health were considered. Univariate analysis was performed, and the factors associated with p<0.20 entered in the multiple analysis, with hierarchical entry of individual variables and contextual indicator of concentration of the income extremes., Results: The incomplete timely vaccination schedule up to 12 months was 82.03% (95%CI 78.41-86.63). In the final model, the following remained independently associated: having one or more siblings at home (OR 3.18; 95%CI 1.75-5.76) and not receiving a visit from a community health worker in the last 30 days (OR 1.93; 95%CI 1.04-3.57)., Conclusions: It is necessary to implement an active search for children with vaccination delay in relation to the recommended interval for each vaccine, in addition to the need to strengthen the link of the family health strategy and child caregivers.