Eurosurveillance - Volume 30, Issue 39, 02 October 2025

Childhood vaccination coverage has declined in recent years in many countries, including the Netherlands.

To understand differences in coverage between population subgroups in the Netherlands over time, we studied sociodemographic factors associated with measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) and diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis–poliomyelitis (DTaP-IPV) vaccination.

We conducted a national retrospective database study including children born between 2008 and 2020. Individual-level data linkage allowed examination of associations of sociodemographic variables with MMR and DTaP-IPV vaccination status at age 2 years. We calculated coverage for each variable, stratified by birth cohort. Multivariable Poisson regression assessed independent associations and changes in coverage over time.

MMR coverage decreased in all population subgroups (overall 95% in cohort 2008 and 89% in cohort 2020), more substantially in some. In multivariable analysis, children of non-Dutch origin, particularly Moroccan and Turkish origin, showed more pronounced declines (respectively −25% and −12% as children of Dutch origin in cohort 2020). Among children not attending daycare and children living in larger families (≥ 4 children), coverage declined faster than in those attending daycare and living in smaller families (both −12% in cohort 2020). Coverage among children of self-employed mothers and children in the lowest income households was lower than among children of mothers in employment and the highest income households (respectively −8% and −7% in cohort 2020). Trends for DTaP-IPV vaccination were nearly identical.

Childhood vaccination coverage in the Netherlands declined substantially, with increasing disparities between sociodemographic groups. Vaccination efforts should be prioritised to protect public health equitably.

In Scotland, the number of pertussis infections recorded in children in 2024 was the highest of any year in the last decade. The protective role of vaccination against severe infection and associated hospitalisations has not been assessed.

To investigate the effect of vaccination and sociodemographic factors on pertussis-related hospitalisations in Scottish children aged under 18 years.

In a retrospective cohort study, laboratory-confirmed pertussis cases from January 2013 to July 2024 were extracted from the national electronic surveillance system and linked to hospitalisation data from Scottish Morbidity Records and vaccination data from the national immunisations database. The outcome was a pertussis-associated hospitalisation. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) for the association between vaccination status and hospitalisation, adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation status.

There were 3,982 laboratory-confirmed cases of pertussis during the study period. Children fully vaccinated for age had significantly lower odds of hospitalisations than unvaccinated children (adjusted OR (aOR): 0.31; 95% CI: 0.21–0.46). Being partially vaccinated for age did not significantly reduce hospitalisations relative to unvaccinated children (aOR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.47–1.33). In the univariable analysis, children living in the most deprived areas had significantly more hospitalisations than those in the least deprived areas (OR: 3.90; 95% CI: 2.41–6.56). This association was not significant when adjusted for the effect of vaccination (aOR: 1.47; 95% CI: 0.84–2.66).

Fully vaccinated children had significantly lower odds of hospitalisation, indicative of less severe disease. This emphasises the importance of fully vaccinating children according to the childhood immunisation schedule.

Contact investigation of index cases is important for tuberculosis (TB) control in low-incidence countries, yet key performance metrics have not been evaluated in Germany.

We aimed to assess the yield of TB contact investigations, compliance with national guidelines and risk factors for infection among contacts.

We analysed anonymised data of TB patients and their contacts collected between 2018 and 2022 in Upper Bavaria, Germany. We assessed testing coverage, latent TB infection (LTBI), TB yield, primary prophylaxis and preventive treatment coverage. Risk factors for M. tuberculosis infection (positive tuberculin skin test (TST) / interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) and/or TB diagnosis) among contacts were identified using multivariable logistic regression and classification tree.

Of the 2,186 contacts of 174 TB patients, 2,022 (92.5%) had a valid TST/IGRA result and/or a TB diagnosis. Of these, 308 (15.2%) had M. tuberculosis infection, including 10 (0.5%) with TB. Of 241 contacts with LTBI, 66 (28.2%) completed preventive treatment. Among 124 children < 5 years, testing coverage was 75.8%, 16.9% received an immediate chest X-ray and 72.7% primary prophylaxis. Key predictors of infection were born outside Germany (odds ratio (OR) = 2.85; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.94–4.21) and exposure in community housing (OR = 2.65; 95% CI: 1.65–4.30; reference: exposure at work) or household/family (OR = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.74–4.00).

We observed high screening coverage of contacts and yield and risk factors comparable to other low-incidence settings. There is room for improvement regarding preventive treatment and screening of children < 5 years.

Rotavirus is a main gastroenteritis cause in children ≤ 5 years old. In 2017, when few Italian regions had rotavirus vaccination programmes, rotavirus vaccines were included in the National Plan for Preventive Vaccination (PNPV). Although all Italian regions follow the PNPV, they each decide how to implement it, contributing to rotavirus vaccination coverage differences across the country.

The objective was to assess rotavirus vaccination national/regional policies in Italy and, between 2016 and 2023, vaccination coverage trends at national and regional level.

Scientific and grey literature was systematically reviewed for reports on Italian national/regional policies or programmes concerning rotavirus vaccination. Their key features and strategies to increase vaccination coverage were recorded. Vaccination coverage data originating from the Ministry of Health, were analysed descriptively, or with linear regression, for national and regional trends.

Among 418 policy/programme reports identified, 25 were included. Between 2013 and 2015, Sicilia, Calabria and Puglia had already initiated universal vaccination programmes. The PNPV 2017–19 standardised regions’ offer of rotavirus vaccination. Between 2016 and 2023, vaccination coverage in Italy significantly increased (p = 0.0005) from 10.5% to 70.76%, with a 140% rise in 2019−20. Regional coverage disparities existed. Throughout 2016–23, most central Italian regions had annual coverages below national values. Bolzano annual coverage was consistently < 50%, while in Veneto, coverage reached 85.10% in 2021. In 2023, five regions had > 80% coverage.

While rotavirus vaccination coverage improved in Italy in 2016−23, regional disparities persist. Addressing these requires overcoming logistical and societal challenges, as well as harmonised policies.