Done among 150 mothers of children under 5 in the paediatric outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in city between June and July 2018 through a three-part questionnaire about the scale of hesitancy and parental attitude toward child vaccines, it was published in the Indian Journal of Community Medicine’s November issue.
“More than 5% of parents had high level of vaccine hesitancy. Television, followed by social media, was the influential source for vaccine-related information,” said the corresponding author Dr Vijayaprasad Gopichandran, department of community medicine, ESIC Medical College, KK Nagar.
Public health experts say active anti-vaccine campaigns on social media influence parents. “We faced the most when we introduced measles rubella vaccination,” said public health director Dr K Kolandasamy. They had to get the school education department to say students not vaccinated will not be allowed to continue, he added.
In Tamil Nadu, with one of the best indices in most health indicators, the vaccine coverage, as per National Family Health Survey, fell from 89% in 1998-99 to 69% in 2015-16, with doctors’ bodies and paediatricians raising concern about the sudden spike in diseases such as diphtheria and whooping cough.
The study’s authors say the main drivers for vaccine hesitancy are scepticism against newer vaccines, concerns about safety, fear of adverse effects and the feeling that vaccines against uncommon diseases are unnecessary. Dr S Balasubramanian, medical director of Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital, says he recommends most vaccines to kids as they offer some protection. “There may be adverse side effects. In some children vaccines can be contra-indicatory. But these are exceptions. Peadiatricians will have to listen to parents, clear their doubts and explain the benefits.”
The authors say providing knowledge and information isn’t enough and that interventions should be based on behaviour change, while paediatricians like New Delhi based Jacob M Puliyel call for a transparent policy that will discuss benefits and adverse effects of newer vaccines.
Misinformation, usually on television, popular media and social media can lead to vaccine hesitancy, the study said. “Even messages which are intended to improve vaccine uptake such as information about the vaccine-preventable illness or messages against false claims about vaccines tend to be counterproductive.”
TN’s public health department has acted against “healers” and “quacks” for messages that work as public health menace. “There are adequate provisions under public health act. We are increasing the vigil on social media as well,” said Dr Kolandasamy.
Further studies among communities are required, but the authors say vaccination programmes have to include strategies to increase awareness and remove fears.
source https://cvrnewsdirect.com/1-in-20-chennai-parents-averse-to-vaccines-chennai-news/
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