1887
Review articles Open Access
Like 0

Abstract

Measles is a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease. Europe is far from the 95% coverage rates necessary for elimination of the disease, although a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available. We reviewed the literature on studies carried out in European countries from January 1991 to September 2011 on knowledge, attitudes and practices of health professionals towards measles vaccination and on how health professionals have an impact on parental vaccination choices. Both quantitative and qualitative studies were considered: a total of 28 eligible articles were retrieved. Healthcare workers are considered by parents as a primary and trustworthy source of information on childhood vaccination. Gaps in knowledge and poor communication from healthcare workers are detrimental to high immunisation rates. Correct and transparent information for parents plays a key role in parental decisions on whether to have their children vaccinated. Healthcare workers' knowledge of and positive attitudes towards measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination are crucial to meeting the measles elimination goal. An effort should be made to overcome potential communication barriers and to strengthen vaccine education among healthcare professionals. .

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/ese.17.26.20206-en
2012-06-28
2024-10-15
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/ese.17.26.20206-en
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/17/26/art20206-en.htm?itemId=/content/10.2807/ese.17.26.20206-en&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah
Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error