Vaccination Barriers for Adults

The growth of childhood vaccination in India has been increased over the past two decades as >25% of deaths due to infections are prevented with the help of vaccines. Vaccination is also recommended for adults where adult vaccination is mostly ignored in India. In India, childhood vaccination is considered the main priority, WHO has also issued guidelines for childhood vaccination. Generally, adults have less susceptible to traditional infectious agents but the probability of exposure to the infectious agents has increased. SO the problem of adult immunization should be considered. Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in adults are more neglected. There are many reasons for the causes of the VPDs in adults. These can be prevented by immunization among adults. Each country should provide a proper guideline for adult vaccination. When it comes to India, our country doesn’t have proper guidelines for Adult immunization. As to decrease the morbidity and mortality in the life of a person the vaccine uptake for the immunization must be ensured. This article mainly focuses on the vaccine-preventable disease in India with the role of adult immunizations and the steps to ensure the betterment of the vaccine uptake among the adults.

Assessing the knowledge and skill of vaccination staff at Adult Vaccination Counters for COVID-19 vaccines: Simulated client method

The Government of Pakistan has established Adult Vaccination Counters (AVCs) to immunize general population with COVID-19 vaccine. Different brands of COVID-19 vaccines have different protocols. It is important that the knowledge and skills of the vaccination staff at AVCs should be accurate. To assess this, a cross-sectional study was conducted in all 15 AVCs at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s provincial capital in May 2021, using the simulated client approach. Structured open-ended and simulated scenario-based questions were used to collect data from the vaccination staff of AVCs. This study showed that 53.3% of the AVCs had at most three out of four brands of COVID-19 vaccines. 60% of the AVCs did not have the mechanism to track client’s vaccine first dose, date, and brand. Only 66.7% of the AVCs had a complete knowledge of all the available vaccines. 86.7% and 80% of the AVCs knew the correct duration and administration of the same brand of COVID-19 vaccine’s second dose respectively. At the client’s end, 6.7% were aware about the brand of administered COVID-19 vaccine. 46.7% were advised about the date of the second shot of vaccination. Only 13.3% of the clients were informed about the procedure of getting an official vaccination certificate. It was concluded that the knowledge and skill of the vaccination staff at AVCs is inadequate. Every vaccine has a different protocol in terms of number of doses and duration. AVCs must have a tracking system to inoculate the second dose with the same brand as the first dose. There is a need for rigorous monitoring and training of the COVID-19 vaccination staff on various protocols of vaccine to prevent losing public’s trust.

Botswana's Masisi faces increasing political threats

Significance These losses are the latest indication that the BDP is losing support. The opposition has capitalised on widespread perceptions of corruption under President Mokgweetsi Masisi, and on his administration’s alleged use of the state intelligence apparatus to harass political opponents. Impacts The courts will continue to be an obstacle to Masisi’s efforts against Khama. Recent electoral losses may embolden internal BDP rivals or possibly encourage defections to the opposition. Botswana’s 70%-plus adult vaccination rate may help limit the Omicron variant’s damage to economic recovery.

Manifesto on the Value of Adult Immunization: “We Know, We Intend, We Advocate”

Immunization through vaccination is a milestone achievement that has made a tremendous contribution to public health. Historically, immunization programs aimed firstly to protect children, who were disproportionally affected by infectious diseases. However, vaccine-preventable diseases can have significant impacts on adult mortality, health, and quality of life. Despite this, adult vaccinations have historically been overlooked in favor of other health priorities, because their benefits to society were not well recognized. As the general population is aging, the issue of vaccination in older adults is gaining importance. In high-income countries, recommendations for the routine vaccination of older adults have been gradually introduced. The Italian National Immunization Plan is considered to be among the most advanced adult vaccination plans in Europe. However, available data indicate there is low adherence to vaccination recommendations in Italy. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the damage that can be caused by an infectious disease, especially among adults and individuals with comorbidities. The aim of this “Manifesto”, therefore, is to provide an overview of the existing evidence on the value of adult vaccination, in the Italian context, with a call to action to healthcare providers and health authorities.

Improving Adult Vaccination Status in the United States

Adult immunization practices leave much to be desired. Misinformation has increased mistrust. As a result, Latino and African American populations have low rates of annual flu vaccinations and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, lag behind for COVID-19 vaccination. Historically, healthcare staff have failed to adhere to adult immunization guidelines contributing to patient infections. Healthcare staff, both clinical and non-clinical, must lead by example by making “prevention primary”. Most adults may not realize they need immunizations. We recommend the following steps to increase immunization uptake: Make adult immunization a standard of patient care as we do for children. Assess immunization status at every clinical opportunity. Strongly recommend vaccinations needed. Administer needed vaccinations, multiple if warranted. Document vaccines received by your patient. Participate in your state’s immunization registry and work with community organizations that can help make adult immunization the norm.

1385Hesitancy for Adult Vaccination -A New Paradigm for Research in India

Background Adult immunization has recently emerged as an area of emphasis in research and policy. Increasing life expectancy, outbreaks like COVID-19, and the endemic nature of diseases like dengue, malaria have underscored its importance. Therefore, this study was carried out with the aim to assess hesitancy and factors influencing the uptake of vaccines in adults. Methods An online cross-sectional study was conducted among adults (age more than 20 years). Data collection was done by convenience sampling in January 2021. Information on awareness and perceptions regarding adult vaccination and immunization status of participants was collected. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 21. Results A total of 461 adults responded to the survey. Among those who had never received any vaccine in adulthood (n = 158), the reasons were lack of recommendation by healthcare providers (38.6%), lack of knowledge of vaccines (15.8%) and fear of adverse effects following vaccination (7.6%). Hesitancy for vaccines among those who were informed by healthcare workers was as follows: shingles (97.8%), human papillomavirus (92.1%), pneumococcal (91.1%), influenza (79.7%), varicella (79.4%) and tetanus (57.6%). Conclusions Reduced vaccine uptake due to vaccine hesitancy in adulthood is a major health concern. Hesitancy was highest for the shingles vaccine and least for the tetanus vaccine. Key messages Coverage of adult vaccination can be improved by formulating national guidelines and encouraging healthcare providers to raise awareness. In-depth qualitative studies are needed to understand the perception of adults towards vaccination.