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LONDON, June 19: Trust in vaccines: one of the most effective and widely used medical products in the world: reaches its peak in the poorest countries, but weakest in richer countries where skepticism has allowed the persistence of diseases such as measles, according to a global study Wednesday.
France has the slightest confidence in the safety and efficacy of vaccines worldwide, with one third believing that vaccines are dangerous, according to the study.
Although most parents choose to vaccinate their children, varying levels of confidence expose the vulnerabilities of some countries to potential epidemics, the study authors said, recommending that scientists ensure that people have access to reliable information from trusted people.
Public health experts and the World Health Organization (WHO) say vaccines save up to 3 million lives each year worldwide and that decades of research consistently show that They are safe and effective.
However, to achieve "collective immunity" protecting whole populations, vaccination coverage rates must generally be above 90 or 95% and vaccine mistrust can quickly reduce this protection.
"Over the past century, vaccines have left a distant memory to many devastating infectious diseases," said Charlie Weller, vaccine manager at the Wellcome Trust for Health, which co-directed 39, Wellcome Global Monitor study.
"It is rebaduring to see almost every parent in the world vaccinating their children, but there are pockets of lesser confidence in vaccines around the world."
The spread of measles, including during major epidemics in the United States, the Philippines and Ukraine, is only one of the health risks badociated with declining confidence in the vaccines.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan, false rumors that polio vaccines are part of a Western conspiracy have in recent years hampered global efforts to eradicate this crippling disease.
The study, led by Wellcome and the Gallup polling company, covered 140,000 people from over 140 countries.
She revealed that 6% of parents in the world, 188 million, say their children are not vaccinated. The highest percentages were recorded in China (9%), Austria (8%) and Japan (7%).
The study also found that three-quarters of the world's population trust doctors and nurses more than others for health advice, and that in most parts of the world, increased education and greater confidence in health systems, governments and scientists also show greater confidence in vaccines.
In some high-income regions, however, confidence is lower. Only 72% of North Americans and 73% of Northern Europeans agree that vaccines are safe. In Eastern Europe, it's only 50%.
Heidi Larson, director of the Trust in Vaccines Project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, worked with researchers on this study. She stated that this "exposes the paradox of Europe" which, despite the fact that it is one of the regions where incomes and education are the highest, also presents the greatest skepticism about vaccines.
In the poorest regions, confidence levels tend to be much higher: 95% in South Asia and 92% in East Africa are confident that vaccines are safe and effective.
(Kate Kelland story, edited by John Stonestreet)
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