Emory University; Rollins School of Public Health; Atlanta, GA USA.
Johns Hopkins University; Bloomberg School of Public Health; Baltimore, MD USA.
Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013 Dec;9(12):2643-8. doi: 10.4161/hv.27243. Epub 2013 Nov 18.
Vaccines are among the most effective public health interventions against infectious diseases. However, there is evidence in the United States for parents either delaying or refusing recommended childhood vaccination. Exemptions to school immunization laws and use of alternative schedule from those recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics cannot only increase the risk of children contracting vaccine-preventable diseases but also increases the risk of infecting others who are either too young to be vaccinated, cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or did not develop a sufficient immunological response to the vaccine. Healthcare providers are cited as the most influential source by parents on vaccine decision-making. Vaccine hesitancy needs to be addressed by healthcare providers and the scientific community by listening to the parental concerns and discussing risks associated with either delaying or refusing vaccines.
疫苗是预防传染病的最有效公共卫生干预措施之一。然而,在美国,有证据表明一些家长要么推迟,要么拒绝推荐的儿童疫苗接种。学校免疫法豁免以及采用替代时间表,而不是免疫实践咨询委员会和美国儿科学会推荐的时间表,不仅会增加儿童感染可通过疫苗预防的疾病的风险,还会增加感染那些因年龄太小而无法接种疫苗、因医学原因不能接种疫苗或对疫苗没有产生足够免疫反应的人的风险。医疗机构被认为是父母在疫苗决策方面最具影响力的信息来源。疫苗犹豫需要由医疗机构和科学界来解决,方法是听取家长的担忧,并讨论延迟或拒绝接种疫苗所带来的风险。