scholarly journals The Role of Public Health Communication in Combating Vaccine Hesitancy: A Historical Comparison

2020 ◽  
pp. 31-33
Author(s):  
Isabel Dewey
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Mmr Vaccine ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Historical Comparison ◽  
The Difference

In the current COVID-19 global health crisis, discussions of vaccine safety and hesitancy are being brought to light, as they were during many historical pandemics. In order to suggest effective public health interventions, it is important to examine the historically conventional interventions implemented during previous pandemics. In this review, the governmental role and communication strategies during the smallpox and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine hesitancies are compared. Specifically, it assesses how these factors may have contributed to vaccine hesitancy and the difference in outcomes. This discussion emphasizes the importance of effective science communication and public health interventions in the prevention and eradication of diseases.

scholarly journals VACCINE HESITANCY: A THREAT TO VACCINE PREVENTABLE DISEASE PROGRAMS

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Polio Eradication ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Childhood Vaccination ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Eradication Program

Childhood vaccination program provides one of the most cost-effective public health interventions. Vaccination prevents about 2-3 million deaths a year.1 Disease elimination and eradication programs are one of the most effective way to interrupt disease transmission, which results in reducing morbidity and mortality. After successful eradication of small pox in 19772, the world is close to achieve the goal of polio eradication. Polio eradication program has evolved since its beginning around three decades ago. However, the program has seen several challenges during this time around the globe. Hesitation to vaccinate remains one of the most important factors to determine the course of eradication program. Vaccine hesitancy is “the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines”.1 Any factor affecting the public trust in vaccine safety, purity or efficacy can result in variable level of vaccine hesitancy.3-5 Vaccine hesitancy, if not addressed timely and effectively, can hamper the progress of the program and pose challenges to completion of the disease eradication and elimination programs. Vaccine hesitancy affects the coverage and has impact on overall immunity levels and it needs to be taken seriously. Among all public health interventions, immunization programs were able to investigate the details of the reasons for not vaccinating children. Probably, to our knowledge, the polio program has underwent the most in-depth exploration on the causes of reluctance to vaccinate than any other public health program. However, vaccine hesitancy is comparatively difficult to capture in routine immunization program. Vaccine hesitancy becomes more obvious during supplementary immunization campaigns as the interventions are for brief time and the time taken by community to react to intervention is short as well. While the goal of eradicating polio is near, the issues of vaccine hesitancy are still adversely affecting the global eradication of polio.

scholarly journals Antecedents of Vaccine Hesitancy in WEIRD and East Asian Contexts

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Courtney ◽  
Ana-Maria Bliuc
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Mmr Vaccine ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Effective Science

Following decreasing vaccination rates over the last two decades, understanding the roots of vaccine hesitancy has become a public health priority. Vaccine hesitancy is linked to scientifically unfounded fears around the MMR vaccine and autism which are often fuelled by misinformation spread on social media. To counteract the effects of misinformation about vaccines and in particular the falling vaccination rates, much research has focused on identifying the antecedents of vaccine hesitancy. As antecedents of vaccine hesitancy are contextually dependent, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful in non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic) populations, and even in certain (non-typical) WEIRD sub-populations. Successful interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy must be based on understanding of the specific context. To identify potential contextual differences in the antecedents of vaccine hesitancy, we review research from three non-WEIRD populations in East Asia, and three WEIRD sub-populations. We find that regardless of the context, mistrust seems to be the key factor leading to vaccine hesitancy. However, the object of mistrust varies across WEIRD and non-WEIRD populations, and across WEIRD subgroups suggesting that effective science communication must be mindful of these differences.

scholarly journals Differential impact of non-pharmaceutical public health interventions on COVID-19 epidemics in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoshuang Liu ◽  
Xiao Xu ◽  
Guanqiao Li ◽  
Xian Xu ◽  
Yuyao Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Us ◽  
Individualized Decision

Abstract Background: The widespread pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses an unprecedented global health crisis. In the United States (US), different state governments have adopted various combinations of non-pharmaceutical public health interventions (NPIs), such as non-essential business closures and gathering bans, to mitigate the epidemic from February to April, 2020. Quantitative assessment on the effectiveness of NPIs is greatly needed to assist in guiding individualized decision making for adjustment of interventions in the US and around the world. However, the impacts of these approaches remain uncertain.Methods: Based on the reported cases, the effective reproduction number (Rt) of COVID-19 epidemic for 50 states in the US was estimated. Measurements on the effectiveness of nine different NPIs were conducted by assessing risk ratios (RRs) between R t and NPIs through a generalized linear model (GLM). Results: Different NPIs were found to have led to different levels of reduction in Rt. Stay-at-home contributed approximately 51% (95% CI 46%-57%), wearing (face) masks 29% (15%-42%), gathering ban (more than 10 people) 19% (14%-24%), non-essential business closure 16% (10%-21%), declaration of emergency 13% (8%-17%), interstate travel restriction 11% (5%-16%), school closure 10% (7%-14%), initial business closure 10% (6%-14%), and gathering ban (more than 50 people) 7% (2%-11%).Conclusions: This retrospective assessment of NPIs on Rt has shown that NPIs played critical roles on epidemic control in the US in the past several months. The quantitative results could guide individualized decision making for future adjustment of NPIs in the US and other countries for COVID-19 and other similar infectious diseases.

scholarly journals Policing the coronavirus pandemic: Nigeria police senior officers’ views on preparedness, response, legitimacy and post-COVID policing

2021 ◽  
pp. 146135572110640
Author(s):  
Richard A. Aborisade ◽  
Oluwajuwon G. Ariyo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Police Community Relations ◽  
Senior Officers

In the wake of pandemic policing occasioned by COVID-19, Nigeria police have been facing challenges of a lack of legitimacy, together with what is termed the militarization of police operations. This has impacted considerably on police–community relations. Meanwhile, early reports on the police response to the pandemic indicated high levels of lockdown violation, despite adoption of a militarized option in the enforcement of restriction orders. In reviewing one of the first police interventions on a public health crisis in Nigeria, a qualitative study was conducted among top-ranking police officers who supervised the enforcement of lockdown and other COVID-19 measures. Sixteen interviews were conducted and a thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. Police unpreparedness for public health interventions, and public resistance to the use of repressive, force-led styles of policing were identified as major impediments to positive pandemic policing. Therefore, police officers are advised to ensure the application of procedurally just practices in their interactions with the public.

scholarly journals Differential impact of non-pharmaceutical public health interventions on COVID-19 epidemics in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoshuang Liu ◽  
Xiao Xu ◽  
Guanqiao Li ◽  
Xian Xu ◽  
Yuyao Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Us ◽  
Individualized Decision

Abstract Background The widespread pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses an unprecedented global health crisis. In the United States (US), different state governments have adopted various combinations of non-pharmaceutical public health interventions (NPIs), such as non-essential business closures and gathering bans, to mitigate the epidemic from February to April, 2020. Quantitative assessment on the effectiveness of NPIs is greatly needed to assist in guiding individualized decision making for adjustment of interventions in the US and around the world. However, the impacts of these approaches remain uncertain. Methods Based on the reported cases, the effective reproduction number (Rt) of COVID-19 epidemic for 50 states in the US was estimated. Measurements on the effectiveness of nine different NPIs were conducted by assessing risk ratios (RRs) between Rt and NPIs through a generalized linear model (GLM). Results Different NPIs were found to have led to different levels of reduction in Rt. Stay-at-home contributed approximately 51% (95% CI 46–57%), wearing (face) masks 29% (15–42%), gathering ban (more than 10 people) 19% (14–24%), non-essential business closure 16% (10–21%), declaration of emergency 13% (8–17%), interstate travel restriction 11% (5–16%), school closure 10% (7–14%), initial business closure 10% (6–14%), and gathering ban (more than 50 people) 7% (2–11%). Conclusions This retrospective assessment of NPIs on Rt has shown that NPIs played critical roles on epidemic control in the US in the past several months. The quantitative results could guide individualized decision making for future adjustment of NPIs in the US and other countries for COVID-19 and other similar infectious diseases.

scholarly journals Precipitous Fall in Common Respiratory Viral Infections During COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael F Parry ◽  
Asha K Shah ◽  
Merima Sestovic ◽  
Selma Salter
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Continued Use ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
The Difference

Abstract In the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we were surprised to find that all other respiratory viral infections fell precipitously. The difference in respiratory viral infections during the 16-week period of our peak COVID-19 activity in 2020 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weeks 14–29) was significantly lower than during the same period in the previous 4 years (a total of 4 infections vs an average of 138 infections; P < .0001). We attribute this to widespread use of public health interventions including wearing face masks, social distancing, hand hygiene, and stay-at-home orders. As these interventions are usually ignored by the community during most influenza seasons, we anticipate that their continued use during the upcoming winter season could substantially blunt the case load of influenza and other respiratory viral infections.

scholarly journals Differential impact of non-pharmaceutical public health interventions on COVID-19 epidemics in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoshuang Liu ◽  
Xiao Xu ◽  
Guanqiao Li ◽  
Xian Xu ◽  
Yuyao Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Us ◽  
Individualized Decision

Abstract Background: The widespread pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses an unprecedented global health crisis. In the United States (US), different state governments have adopted various combinations of non-pharmaceutical public health interventions (NPIs), such as non-essential business closures and gathering bans, to mitigate the epidemic from February to April, 2020. Quantitative assessment on the effectiveness of NPIs is greatly needed to assist in guiding individualized decision making for adjustment of interventions in the US and around the world. However, the impacts of these approaches remain uncertain. Methods: Based on the reported cases, the effective reproduction number (B) of COVID-19 epidemic for 50 states in the US was estimated. Measurements on the effectiveness of nine different NPIs were conducted by assessing risk ratios (RRs) between a and NPIs through a generalized linear model (GLM). Results: Different NPIs were found to have led to different levels of reduction in c. Stay-at-home contributed approximately 51% (95% CI 46%-57%), wearing (face) masks 29% (15%-42%), gathering ban (more than 10 people) 19% (14%-24%), non-essential business closure 16% (10%-21%), declaration of emergency 13% (8%-17%), interstate travel restriction 11% (5%-16%), school closure 10% (7%-14%), initial business closure 10% (6%-14%), and gathering ban (more than 50 people) 7% (2%-11%). Conclusions: This retrospective assessment of NPIs on k has shown that NPIs played critical roles on epidemic control in the US in the past several months. The quantitative results could guide individualized decision making for future adjustment of NPIs in the US and other countries for COVID-19 and other similar infectious diseases.

Novel conceptual framework and toolset for country-wide assessments of opportunities and challenges for public health interventions

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott McNabb ◽  
Joseph Wamala ◽  
Anila Naz ◽  
Anna Hartrampf ◽  
Dan Samoly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions
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