Hori Ai, Wada Koji, Smith Derek R
Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Clinical Research Center, National Institute for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Institute for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
PLoS One. 2015 Jun 9;10(6):e0129900. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129900. eCollection 2015.
In 2013 a rubella outbreak occurred among Japanese people of working-age which resulted in 14,357 reported cases. The Japanese government subsequently recommended voluntary vaccination or rubella antibody testing for young women (15-49 years of age) who were planning to conceive and for adult men, children, and other persons in potential contact with pregnant women at home. However, the expense and time involved for vaccination, antibody testing and visiting a clinic may represent a major barrier to voluntary compliance among this busy demographic. The aim of the current study was, therefore, to examine potential relationships between the social background of Japanese working-age individuals affected by the 2013 voluntary vaccination campaign.
A web-based survey of 1,889 Japanese men and women aged 20-49 years was conducted in early 2014. Statistical analyses were used to explore the associations between social background and testing for rubella antibody and / or vaccination uptake during the previous year.
Twenty-four percent of respondents who were planning a pregnancy had been tested for rubella antibody or vaccinated in 2013. However, among those without a current desire for pregnancy, 3% of men and 7% of women, respectively, were tested or vaccinated. Regardless of whether they were planning to conceive, testing for rubella antibodies or vaccination was statistically associated with having acquaintances who had been vaccinated, understanding the government recommendations, and being able to confirm their lack of rubella vaccination history using Maternal and Child Health Handbook records in both men and women.
To help eliminate rubella in Japan, additional initiatives need to target Japanese individuals who cannot envisage a direct benefit from vaccination. The results of this study suggest that disseminating the government recommendation to all potentially affected subpopulations, along with maintaining life-time vaccination records might offer a solution to encourage vaccination uptake among working-age adults in Japan, as elsewhere.
2013年，日本劳动年龄人群中爆发了风疹疫情，报告病例达14357例。日本政府随后建议，计划怀孕的年轻女性（15 - 49岁）以及成年男性、儿童和其他可能在家中与孕妇接触的人员进行自愿接种疫苗或风疹抗体检测。然而，接种疫苗、抗体检测以及前往诊所所需的费用和时间，可能是这一忙碌人群自愿遵守建议的主要障碍。因此，本研究的目的是调查2013年受自愿接种疫苗运动影响的日本劳动年龄人群的社会背景之间的潜在关系。
2014年初，对1889名年龄在20 - 49岁的日本男性和女性进行了基于网络的调查。采用统计分析方法，探讨社会背景与上一年风疹抗体检测和/或疫苗接种之间的关联。
计划怀孕的受访者中，24%在2013年进行了风疹抗体检测或接种了疫苗。然而，在目前没有怀孕意愿的人群中，分别有3%的男性和7%的女性进行了检测或接种。无论是否计划怀孕，风疹抗体检测或疫苗接种在统计学上都与有接种过疫苗的熟人、了解政府建议以及能够通过母婴健康手册记录确认自己没有风疹疫苗接种史有关，男女皆是如此。
为了在日本消除风疹，需要针对那些认为接种疫苗没有直接益处的日本人群采取额外措施。本研究结果表明，向所有可能受影响的亚人群传播政府建议，同时保持终身疫苗接种记录，可能为鼓励日本劳动年龄成年人以及其他地区的成年人接种疫苗提供一种解决方案。
