Milani Marco, Nicoletti Michele, Tonon Michele, Gentili Davide, Panaite Stefan-Alexandru, Da Re Filippo, Basso Andrea, Pagin Gloria, Zampini Marco, Ballarin Debora, Zanella Francesca, Groppi Vanessa, Cocchio Silvia, Russo Francesca, Baldo Vincenzo
Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Regional Directorate of Prevention, Food Safety, Veterinary Public Health- Regione del Veneto, Venice, Italy.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jun 5;13:1510785. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1510785. eCollection 2025.
Diphtheria and polio continue to pose significant public health challenges globally, making sustained high vaccination coverage crucial. This study examines the strategies adopted in the Veneto Region to enhance vaccination rates for diphtheria and polio among priority target groups and improve poliovirus surveillance, following the WHO alert about the potential reintroduction and circulation of the two pathogens.
The main objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of supplementary vaccination strategies implemented in the Veneto Region in response to international poliomyelitis and diphtheria alerts. Additionally, it aims to identify municipalities at higher risk of poliovirus AFP based on georeferenced vaccination coverage, enhancing environmental surveillance strategies. Ultimately, the study evaluates regional preparedness and response efforts, offering insights to mitigate the risk of reintroducing these diseases and providing a framework adaptable to similar contexts.
The Regional Directorate of Prevention, Food Safety, Veterinary Public Health analysed regional vaccination coverage and provided Local Health Authorities (LHAs) with a georeferenced representation of vaccination coverage across municipalities. Directives on targeted vaccination strategies were issued to address identified gaps and improve readiness. Ten months later, the Regional Directorate assessed the approaches implemented by LHAs to improve vaccine uptake and evaluated the resulting vaccination coverage. Based on this georeferenced analysis, the effectiveness of current environmental poliovirus surveillance was reviewed, and recommendations for optimising surveillance efforts were proposed.
Following the implementation of the vaccination strategies recommended by the Regional Directorate, vaccination rates improved across all LHAs, especially among children aged 0-2 years who had not received any vaccine doses. The georeferenced analysis of vaccination coverage revealed critical gaps in environmental poliovirus surveillance and underscored the need for targeted interventions to reach unvaccinated populations.
This study demonstrates that centralised governance, combined with georeferenced vaccination data, environmental poliovirus surveillance, and clinical AFP surveillance, enhances the ability to identify coverage gaps and respond to infectious disease threats. While improvements in vaccination rates were achieved, the findings underscore the need for targeted, community-specific interventions and continuous monitoring to address disparities. Strengthening data integration and adopting innovative surveillance methods will be crucial to sustaining high vaccination coverage and ensuring public health security.
白喉和脊髓灰质炎在全球范围内继续构成重大的公共卫生挑战，因此持续保持高疫苗接种覆盖率至关重要。在世卫组织就这两种病原体可能重新引入和传播发出警报后，本研究考察了威尼托大区为提高重点目标群体的白喉和脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种率以及改善脊髓灰质炎病毒监测而采取的策略。
本研究的主要目标是评估威尼托大区为应对国际脊髓灰质炎和白喉警报而实施的补充疫苗接种策略的有效性。此外，旨在根据地理定位的疫苗接种覆盖率确定脊髓灰质炎病毒急性弛缓性麻痹（AFP）风险较高的市镇，加强环境监测策略。最终，该研究评估了大区的防范和应对工作，为降低这些疾病重新引入的风险提供见解，并提供一个可适用于类似情况的框架。
预防、食品安全、兽医公共卫生区域局分析了大区的疫苗接种覆盖率，并向地方卫生当局（LHA）提供了各市镇疫苗接种覆盖率的地理定位图。发布了关于有针对性的疫苗接种策略的指令，以解决已发现的差距并提高防范能力。十个月后，区域局评估了地方卫生当局为提高疫苗接种率而实施的方法，并评估了由此产生的疫苗接种覆盖率。基于这种地理定位分析，审查了当前环境脊髓灰质炎病毒监测的有效性，并提出了优化监测工作的建议。
在实施区域局建议的疫苗接种策略后，所有地方卫生当局的疫苗接种率均有所提高，尤其是在未接种任何疫苗剂量的0至2岁儿童中。疫苗接种覆盖率的地理定位分析揭示了环境脊髓灰质炎病毒监测中的关键差距，并强调需要采取有针对性的干预措施以覆盖未接种疫苗的人群。
本研究表明，集中管理与地理定位的疫苗接种数据、环境脊髓灰质炎病毒监测和临床AFP监测相结合，可提高识别覆盖率差距和应对传染病威胁的能力。虽然疫苗接种率有所提高，但研究结果强调需要采取有针对性的、针对特定社区的干预措施并进行持续监测，以解决差异问题。加强数据整合和采用创新监测方法对于维持高疫苗接种覆盖率和确保公共卫生安全至关重要。
