Vax hesitancy can lead to geo-clustering of epidemics: Study

Pune: A study of three Indian doctors, including one from the Sassoon General Hospital, pointed out that vaccine hesitancy, especially among children, was a significant phenomenon and could translate into geographical clustering of epidemics, especially after the flattening of Covid pandemic.

“A reasonably high acceptance and coverage rates are necessary for an immunisation programme to be successful,” said Aarti Kinikar, the head of the paediatric department at Sassoon General Hospital and one of the authors of the study.

“Recent findings state that there are still uncertainties and concerns about the safety and the efficacy of vaccines not just for Covid-19 but for others as well, which can lead to vaccine hesitancy and undermine public confidence in immunisation,” she said.

WHO identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health. Increasing vaccine hesitancy could lead to geographical clustering of other epidemics like diarrhoea, TB, sporadic cases of leprosy and polio, too, revealed the study of the Indian trio, published in August in peer reviewed “Current Paediatrics Journal”.

It highlighted the factors affecting vaccine hesitancy, its role in limiting vaccine uptake and inability to achieve collective immunity, and possible solutions.

The study stated that a worldwide gain in vaccination coverage was threatened by growing vaccine hesitancy.

Although the vaccination coverage has increased significantly globally since 1980s, the immunisation coverage for tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles and polio vaccines has relatively declined since 2012.

Kinikar said a study conducted on 250 lactating mothers in the postnatal ward of Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital between July 1 and October 31, 2021, showed Covid-19 vaccine acceptance rate to be very low (8%) in view of the potential safety concern and long-term negative effects on the breastfeeding child (52%).

After addressing their concerns, nearly 78% of lactating mothers accepted the vaccination.

Dr Kinikar said, “Dismissing any community’s reluctance to take the vaccine cannot be termed as vaccine hesitancy. Whenever any vaccine comes, the community needs to be counselled and all questions need to be answered properly. WHO has specific protocols as to what can be termed as vaccine hesitancy.”