Reasons for measles cases not being vaccinated with MMR: investigation into parents' and carers' views following a large measles outbreak

Abstract

Uptake rates for the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine have been below the required 95% in the UK since a retracted and discredited article linking the MMR vaccine with autism and inflammatory bowel disease was released in 1998. This study undertook semi-structured telephone interviews among parents or carers of 47 unvaccinated measles cases who were aged between 13 months and 9 years, during a large measles outbreak in Merseyside. Results showed that concerns over the specific links with autism remain an important cause of refusal to vaccinate, with over half of respondents stating this as a reason. A quarter stated child illness during scheduled vaccination time, while other reasons included general safety concerns and access issues. Over half of respondents felt that more information or a discussion with a health professional would help the decision-making process, while a third stated improved access. There was clear support for vaccination among respondents when asked about current opinions regarding MMR vaccine. The findings support the hypothesis that safety concerns remain a major barrier to MMR vaccination, and also support previous evidence that experience of measles is an important determinant in the decision to vaccinate.

Resurgence of Measles in Europe: A Systematic Review on Parental Attitudes and Beliefs of Measles Vaccine

“…The most common reason for hesitancy or refusal was concern about adverse effects, revealed in 13 of 20 studies. This was mentioned by participants in relation to fear of autism in 10 studies [ 22 – 26 , 29 – 33 ] across three countries (UK, Italy, and Sweden). Rejectors and vaccine-hesitant parents were more likely to perceive adverse effects as highly probable and severe [ 29 , 34 ].…”

“…Hesitant parents often felt frustrated with the lack of unbiased and accurate information [23,28], and rejectors more commonly reported receiving discordant opinions [29]. A large percentage of participants in two British studies who received catch-up invitations or leaflets felt they were not clear and informative enough [26,33].…”

Vaccination among Polish university students. Knowledge, beliefs and anti-vaccination attitudes

“…The choice of the latter vaccines was not accidental; measles is generally considered as a mild childhood disease, whereas MMR raises a lot of safety concerns among parents. 10 Principal aim of this study was to examine vaccination attitudes of young Polish adults, and to verify if formal education or actual level of medical knowledge are associated with more positive attitude to vaccines. We expected that subjects with higher formal levels of medical education will present with more positive vaccination attitudes.…”

Resurgimiento del Sarampión en el siglo 21. El retorno del Rey

“…A diferencia de la infección natural la inmunidad dada por vacuna no es permanente. La falla secundaria se refiere a individuos que tienen buena respesta a la inmunidad primaria y pierden protección a lo largo del tiempo, en sarampión la falla secundaria parece tener menor importancia, los casos de sarampión descritos con 1 o 2 dosis de vacunas son menos que en población no vacunada y menos severos, sin embargo genera un desafío a largo plazo dado la falta de exposición natural al virus en la población 11 .…”

“…No obstante en países desarrollados el problema es diferente. La falta de confianza en las vacunas (calificado por la OMS como uno de los principales 10 problemas graves de salud) promovido por los grupos antivacunas y las falsas percepciones de la relación de la vacuna SRP con autismo han sido uno de los principales problemas en países desarrollados 11,12 . La propagación de esta falsa percepción a través de redes sociales tiene cada vez más relevancia y el daño producido ha tenido consecuencias nefastas en la salud de la población.…”