Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.0
7.8
Journals
Vaccines
Special Issues
Vaccine Hesitancy and Child Immunizations: Rationales, Issues and Knowledge Gaps...
share announcement

Vaccine Hesitancy and Child Immunizations: Rationales, Issues and Knowledge Gaps for a Post-pandemic Future (2023)

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 5307

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Davide Gori

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 401261 Bologna, Italy
Interests: vaccine hesitancy; epidemiology; public health; vaccine campaigns
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, infant and childhood vaccine coverage rates are still not high enough, with outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases occurring frequently, even in high-income countries. Vaccine hesitancy is one of the factors explaining the suboptimal percentages of vaccination coverage, defined by the SAGE group as a “delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccine services”. The decision not to vaccinate or to delay vaccine shots is derived from a complex decision-making process influenced by numerous factors related to population, context, environment, historical period, and single vaccines.

The increase in vaccine hesitancy before the COVID-19 pandemic led the World Health Organization to list vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 health threats facing the world in 2019. This has resulted in several high-, middle-, and low-income countries enacting, strengthening or contemplating mandatory and/or recommended infant and childhood immunization in order to address this novel gap. We have observed how the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy has become of paramount importance in pandemic and potentially post-pandemic management, particularly for the control of SARS-CoV-2 related infection with the new vaccinations that were developed during the pandemic.

This Special Issue focuses on the current knowledge and strategies that may be used to reduce vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccination coverage rates in infant and childhood groups. The submission of original articles, systematic reviews, short communications, and other work on related topics is welcome. Manuscripts will undergo standard journal peer-review practices, and those accepted for publication will appear in the Special Issue “Vaccine Hesitancy and Child Immunizations: Rationales, Issues and Knowledge Gaps for a Post-Pandemic Future (2023)”.

Dr. Davide Gori
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vaccine hesitancy
  • child immunizations
  • vaccination coverage rates
  • vaccine-preventable diseases
  • adverse events
  • vaccine uptake
  • COVID-19 vaccination
  • COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

14 pages, 301 KiB  
Article
Parents’ Concerns, Behavior, Perception, and Hesitancy Regarding COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children in Central Saudi Arabia
by Muhammad Shahid Iqbal, Mohd Naved Khan, Shafqat Qamer and Salah-Ud-Din Khan
Vaccines 2023, 11(10), 1566; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11101566 - 05 Oct 2023
Viewed by 689
Abstract
In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has implemented strict rules to ensure COVID-19 vaccination uptake by the general public. However, there is hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccination among parents for their children worldwide. We aimed to determine the concerns, behaviors, perceptions, and [...] Read more.
In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has implemented strict rules to ensure COVID-19 vaccination uptake by the general public. However, there is hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccination among parents for their children worldwide. We aimed to determine the concerns, behaviors, perceptions, and hesitancy of COVID-19 vaccination among parents for their children in Saudi Arabia. Parents of children aged 5–11 years were included in this cross-sectional study. A total of 1507 responses were obtained using the convenience sampling technique. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 by applying descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the parents who responded, 74.5% believed that the COVID-19 vaccination could affect the genes of children, and 72.8% believed that the COVID-19 vaccination could have a greater number of positive impacts on the overall health of children. In total, 87% of the parents were satisfied with the vaccination services and effective policies of the MoH, Saudi Arabia. This study concluded that there is a greater need to increase public awareness regarding the beneficial impact of COVID-19 vaccination on the overall health of children. Effective awareness campaigns are also required to provide empirical information to the public that COVID-19 vaccination for children is safe and effective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccine Hesitancy and Child Immunizations: Rationales, Issues and Knowledge Gaps for a Post-pandemic Future (2023))
20 pages, 2375 KiB  
Article
COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal and Delay among Adults in Italy: Evidence from the OBVIOUS Project, a National Survey in Italy
by Davide Gori, Angelo Capodici, Giusy La Fauci, Marco Montalti, Aurelia Salussolia, Giorgia Soldà, Zeno Di Valerio, Francesca Scognamiglio, Maria Pia Fantini, Julie Leask, Heidi J. Larson, Stefania Profeti, Federico Toth, Jacopo Lenzi and on behalf of the other researchers of the OBVIOUS BOARD
Vaccines 2023, 11(4), 839; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11040839 - 13 Apr 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2868
Abstract
Background: Vaccine hesitancy was defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 as a major threat to global health. In Italy, reluctance to receive vaccines is a widespread phenomenon that was amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic by fear and mistrust in government. [...] Read more.
Background: Vaccine hesitancy was defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 as a major threat to global health. In Italy, reluctance to receive vaccines is a widespread phenomenon that was amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic by fear and mistrust in government. This study aims to depict different profiles and characteristics of people reluctant to vaccinate, focusing on the drivers of those who are in favor of and those who are opposed to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: A sample of 10,000 Italian residents was collected. A survey on COVID-19 vaccination behavior and possible determinants of vaccine uptake, delay, and refusal was administered to participants through a computer-assisted web interviewing method. Results: In our sample, 83.2% stated that they were vaccinated as soon as possible (“vaccinators”), 8.0% delayed vaccination (“delayers”), and 6.7% refused to be vaccinated (“no-vaccinators”). In general, the results show that being female, aged between 25 and 64, with an education level less than a high school diploma or above a master’s degree, and coming from a rural area were characteristics significantly associated with delaying or refusing COVID-19 vaccination. In addition, it was found that having minimal trust in science and/or government (i.e., 1 or 2 points on a scale from 1 to 10), using alternative medicine as the main source of treatment, and intention to vote for certain parties were characteristics associated with profiles of “delayers” or “no-vaccinators”. Finally, the main reported motivation for delaying or not accepting vaccination was fear of vaccine side effects (55.0% among delayers, 55.6% among no-vaccinators). Conclusion: In this study, three main profiles of those who chose to be vaccinated are described. Since those who are in favor of vaccines and those who are not usually cluster in similar sociodemographic categories, we argue that findings from this study might be useful to policy makers when shaping vaccine strategies and choosing policy instruments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccine Hesitancy and Child Immunizations: Rationales, Issues and Knowledge Gaps for a Post-pandemic Future (2023))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

13 pages, 2241 KiB  
Systematic Review
Immunologic Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Elpida Emmanouilidou-Fotoulaki, Vasiliki Karava, John Dotis, Antonia Kondou and Nikoleta Printza
Vaccines 2023, 11(6), 1080; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11061080 - 09 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1288
Abstract
The pediatric population is at a lower risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to adults. Nevertheless, immunosuppression in pediatric and adolescent kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) increases their hazard compared to the general population. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and [...] Read more.
The pediatric population is at a lower risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to adults. Nevertheless, immunosuppression in pediatric and adolescent kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) increases their hazard compared to the general population. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and determines the risk factors of no seroconversion in this population. PubMed-MEDLINE databases were searched for cohort studies. A meta-analysis was performed using fixed and random effect models. In total, seven studies including 254 patients were further analyzed. The random effect model demonstrated a 63% seroconversion rate (95% CI 0.5, 0.76) following a two-dose schedule, which increased to 85% (95% CI 0.76, 0.93) after the third dose administration. Seropositivity was lower in patients under mycophenolate mofetil compared to azathioprine (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.02, 0.43). Rituximab administration decreased the seroconversion rate (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.03, 0.43). The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 9.25 mL/min/1.73 m2 lower (95% CI 16.37, 2.13) in patients with no seroconversion. The seroconversion rate was lower in vaccinated compared to infected patients (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.02, 0.72). In conclusion, vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in pediatric and adolescent KTRs elicits a humoral response, and a third dose is advised. Previous rituximab administration, antimetabolite therapy with mycophenolate mofetil and lower GFR reduce the likelihood for seroconversion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccine Hesitancy and Child Immunizations: Rationales, Issues and Knowledge Gaps for a Post-pandemic Future (2023))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop