One in 30 parents in Germany and the UK are anti-vaccinations regardless of which disease they are for, according to a new study.
The Vaccinoscopie Europe web-based survey results are part of a study that was due to be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) this month by Professor Jean Paul Stahl, University Hospital Grenoble, France, and colleagues.
The findings were released last night.
The team questioned 300 parents in each of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, who had children aged between 0 and 35 months. They found that 94% of those questioned in Spain are the most pro-vaccination compared to 73% in France. The pro-vaccination figures for Germany were 88%; 87% for Italy; 86% for the UK.
In all countries, more than 90% of parents were in favour of mandatory vaccination for some vaccines, which was defined as being in favour of mandatory vaccination for at least one of the following diseases: tetanus; whooping cough; measles; rubella; pneumococcal meningitis; meningococcal meningitis B; meningococcal meningitis C; Haemophilus influenzae type b; poliomyelitis; diphtheria; mumps; hepatitis B; rotavirus gastroenteritis; chicken pox.
The UK and Germany had 3% of parents (1 in 30) opposed to all vaccinations, compared to fewer than 1% in the other countries.
The number of parents against compulsory vaccination stood at: 7.8% for Germany; 7.4% for the UK; 4% for France; 1% for Italy and 0.8% for Spain.
* Other research that was due to be heard at ECCMID shows that the airborne transmission, both through symptomatic patients and those who are shedding the virus with no symptoms, may be key factors in the spread of scarlet fever.
Professor Shiranee Sriskandan at Imperial College London and Dr Rebecca Cordery at Public Health England, London, England, led the prospective, observational study in schools and nurseries in London with scarlet fever outbreaks to assess impact of antibiotic treatment on detection of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) in cases; prevalence of GAS carriage in classroom and household contacts using throat swabs; and presence of GAS in the classroom environment.
They found that transmissibility was assessed using cough plates, hand swabs, environmental swabs and air settle plates with genome sequencing to confirm chains of transmission
Cases were tested on days one to three of antibiotics, then weekly for three to four weeks. Contacts were also tested weekly over three to four weeks.
Six classes, comprising 11 scarlet fever cases, 17 household contacts, and 142 classroom contacts were recruited. Of 10 cases on treatment, all had negative samples after starting antibiotics, however four of 10 became GAS-positive by week two or three. One untreated case remained positive. GAS was identified in three out of 17 household contacts.
GAS prevalence in classroom contacts was high and increased between weeks one and two in all outbreaks and 27 contacts (19%) were GAS-positive on two, and four on three samples.
Of 28 classroom contacts with GAS-positive throat swabs, who were tested for transmissibility, six (21%) had positive cough plates and/or hand swabs, of whom three remained GAS-positive for three weeks. These classroom contacts were reported to be symptom free. Settle plates were GAS-positive in 2/3 classrooms tested despite being placed in elevated locations.
For full abstract of the Vaccinoscopie Europe web-based survey, see: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oiN02SJXWSQAy5x66FeetVN_d245XNPB/view
For full the abstract of the scarlet fever study, see: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fGXy5cmmT_HsD-PspyAN44-ntXp9DKY7/view
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