ORIGINAL PAPER
Vaccination refusal as a growing issue – a description of the phenomenon occurring among parents of infants born at the Professor Wojciech Starzewski Memorial Centre for Women and Children’s Health in Zabrze during first three years of its functioning
 
More details
Hide details
1
Department of Neonatal Intensive Care, Professor Stanisław Szyszko Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 1 in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Zabrze, Poland
 
2
Professor Wojciech Starzewski Women’s and Children’s Health Centre, Municipal Hospital in Zabrze, Poland
 
 
Submission date: 2019-02-14
 
 
Final revision date: 2019-04-12
 
 
Acceptance date: 2019-04-14
 
 
Publication date: 2019-06-28
 
 
Pediatr Pol 2019;94(3):181-184
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Vaccinations are a safe and effective way to protect against infectious diseases. They are particularly important in the neonatal and infancy period, when the immune system is not yet fully developed. The growing strength of the controversial trend for not vaccinating children cannot be ignored. In Poland an increasing number of parents are deciding not to vaccinate.

Aim of the study:
The aim of the study is to determine the proportion of unvaccinated infants born in CZKiD in its first three years of functioning (01.11.2014 – 31.10.2017), define the parents’ education level and answer the question of whether it influences their decision not to vaccinate, and ascertain whether there is a growing tendency not to vaccinate newborns.

Material and methods:
Retrospective analysis of newborns whose parents did not agree to vaccinations recommended during first 24 hours of life, despite lacking medical contraindications to do so. The work is prepared on the basis of medical documentation and analysis of hospitals’ quarterly lists of parents avoiding children’s vaccinations.

Results:
Among 5246 (2014/2015 – 1384, 2015/2016 – 1772, 2016/2017 – 2090) babies born in the analysed period, 130 (2.48%) have not been vaccinated (2014/2015 – 1.73%, 2015/2016 – 1.98%, 2016/2017 – 3.4%). 109 newborns come from on-time deliveries (38–41 week). The vast majority of newborns were eutrophic (114). The general condition of all newborns was assessed as good (Apgar). Approximately 98% of parents represented at least secondary education level. Moreover, most of them did not disclose clear-cut cause of refusal.

Conclusions:
Our three years’ experience shows that a growing number of parents do not accept birth vaccination doses. What is more, their decision is made even before birth, and from the beginning of hospitalisation they are determined not to allow vaccinations. Most often, this decision is not justified, even though there is a formal possibility to do so. The majority of parents refusing vaccinations are those with at least secondary education. At the moment there is no such data in Polish papers.
REFERENCES (19)
1.
National, State, and Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19-35 Months – United States, 2011. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2012; 61: 689-695.
 
2.
http://www.vaccines.gov/basics... (accessed: June 23, 2016).
 
3.
Gangarosa EJ, Galazka AM, Wolfe CR, et al. Impact of anti-vaccine movements on pertussis control: the untold story. Lancet 1998; 351: 356-361.
 
4.
Maródi L. Neonatal innate immunity to infectious agents. Infect Immun 2006; 74: 1999.
 
5.
Główny Urząd Statystyczny. Rocznik statystyki międzynarodowej 2015. http://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tem...-.
 
6.
tystyczne/roczniki-statystyczne/rocznik-statystyki-miedzynarodowej-2015,10,3.html.
 
7.
Najwyższa Izba Kontroli. Informacja o wynikach kontroli. System szczepień ochronnych dzieci. LKR.410.015.00.2015. Nr ewid. 209/2015/P15/080/LKR. https://www.nik.gov.pl/plik/id..., vp,12736.pdf.
 
8.
Główny Inspektorat Sanitarny. Stan Sanitarny Kraju w roku 2014-2017. http://wwwold.pzh.gov.pl/oldpa....
 
9.
Rozporządzenie Ministra Zdrowia z dnia 18 sierpnia 2011 r. w spra-wie obowiązkowych szczepień ochronnych (Dz.U. z 2011 r. Nr 182 poz. 1086 ze zm.).
 
10.
Komunikat Głównego Inspektora Sanitarnego z dnia 16 października 2015 r. w sprawie Programu Szczepień Ochronnych na rok 2016 (Dz.Urz. MZ z 2015 r. poz. 63).
 
11.
Borszewska-Kornacka M, Wilińska M, Kalisiak M, et al. How neonatologists implement vaccination in premature newborns. Pediatr Pol 2018; 93: 51-56.
 
12.
Korzeniewska-Koseła M (ed.). Gruźlica i choroby układu oddechowego w Polsce w 2017 r. Instytut Gruźlicy i Chorób Płuc, Warszawa 2018.
 
13.
ECDC/WHO Regional Office for Europe. Tuberculosis surveillance and monitoring in Europe. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm 2019.
 
14.
Kawalec W, Grenda R, Ziółkowska H. Pediatria. Tom I. Wydawnictwo Lekarskie PZWL, Warszawa 2013; 314-315.
 
15.
Trunz BB, Fine P, Dye C. Effect of BCG vaccination on childhood tuberculous meningitis and miliary tuberculosis worldwide: a meta-analysis and assessment of cost-effectiveness. Lancet 2006; 14: 1173-1180.
 
16.
Leuridan E, Van Damme P. Hepatitis B and the need for a booster dose. Clin Infect Dis 2011; 53: 68-75.
 
17.
World Health Organization. Practices to improve coverage of the hepatitis B birth dose vaccine. WHO, 2013. Dostępne na: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitst....
 
18.
World Health Organization. Information Sheet. Observed Rate of Vaccines Reactions. Hepatitis B Vaccine. WHO, 2012. http://www.who.int/vaccine_saf....
 
19.
Larson HJ, de Figueiredo A, Xiahong Z, et al. The State of Vaccine Confidence 2016: Global Insights Through a 67-Country Survey. EBioMedicine 2016; 12: 28-29.
 
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top