MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme AG, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Current affiliation: Bavarian Nordic AG, Zug, Switzerland.
BMC Infect Dis. 2021 Jan 6;21(1):12. doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-05586-3.
Over the last two decades, several countries have initiated universal varicella vaccination (UVV) programs in infants. In 2019, the Swiss National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) decided to start evaluating the introduction of universal varicella vaccination. There is a theoretical concern that suboptimal vaccination coverage could lead to a shift in the varicella incidence to older age groups, thereby potentially increasing complication rates. To achieve a high vaccination coverage rate, it is important that practicing physicians comply with a potential recommendation for UVV. We studied the perception of varicella and the current vaccination behavior among Swiss pediatricians and general practitioners (GPs) who treat children. We also assessed their intention to advise parents to vaccinate their children against varicella in the event the Swiss NITAG will recommend UVV.
Primary data was collected through a structured, 20-min online survey with Swiss pediatricians and GPs who treat children.
150 physicians participated in the study: 40 GPs in the German-speaking part, 20 GPs in the French-speaking part, 67 pediatricians in the German-speaking part, and 23 pediatricians in the French-speaking part. The majority (64%) of all participants reported that they currently recommend varicella vaccination for risk groups according to the national immunization plan. About one third of physicians (35%) - predominantly pediatricians - currently already recommend it for all infants. In these situations, a measles, mumps, rubella, varicella combination vaccine is currently used by 58% for the first dose and by 59% for the second dose. 86% of participants stated that they would advise parents to have their children vaccinated against varicella in case of a recommendation for UVV by the Swiss NITAG. 68% responded that they expect many questions from parents and 65% agreed that they have good arguments to convey the importance of varicella vaccination.
The survey study results show that most participating pediatricians and GPs indicated a favorable attitude towards childhood vaccination against varicella in the setting of a Swiss NITAG recommendation for UVV. This data shows the importance of NITAG recommendations in influencing vaccine education and supporting achievement of high coverage of varicella vaccination.
在过去的二十年中，许多国家已经在婴儿中启动了水痘普遍疫苗接种（UVV）计划。2019 年，瑞士国家免疫技术咨询小组（NITAG）决定开始评估引入普遍水痘疫苗接种的问题。理论上存在一种担忧，即疫苗接种覆盖率不足可能导致水痘发病率向年龄较大的人群转移，从而可能增加并发症的发生率。为了实现高疫苗接种覆盖率，执业医生遵守潜在的 UVV 建议非常重要。我们研究了瑞士儿科医生和普通科医生（GP）对水痘的认知以及他们为儿童接种疫苗的现状。我们还评估了他们在瑞士 NITAG 建议 UVV 的情况下，建议父母为孩子接种水痘疫苗的意愿。
通过对治疗儿童的瑞士儿科医生和 GP 进行的一项结构化、20 分钟的在线调查收集了原始数据。
共有 150 名医生参与了这项研究：德语区 40 名 GP、法语区 20 名 GP、德语区 67 名儿科医生和法语区 23 名儿科医生。所有参与者中，大多数（64%）表示他们目前根据国家免疫计划建议为高危人群接种水痘疫苗。约三分之一的医生（35%）-主要是儿科医生-目前已经建议所有婴儿接种。在这些情况下，58%的人目前在第一剂和 59%的人在第二剂使用麻疹、腮腺炎、风疹、水痘联合疫苗。86%的参与者表示，如果瑞士 NITAG 建议普遍接种水痘疫苗，他们将建议父母为孩子接种水痘疫苗。68%的人表示他们预计家长们会有很多问题，65%的人同意他们有很好的理由传达水痘疫苗接种的重要性。
调查研究结果表明，大多数参与的儿科医生和 GP 表示，如果瑞士 NITAG 建议普遍接种水痘疫苗，他们对儿童接种水痘疫苗持有利态度。这些数据表明，NITAG 建议在影响疫苗教育和支持实现高水痘疫苗接种覆盖率方面具有重要意义。
