The politics of immunization in public health

The role of socio-political and psychological factors in the decision to immunize is explored using data collected in a county health department in the United States. Decisions regarding the administration of post-exposure immunizations for hepatitis A and rabies are described, and a tendency toward unnecessary use noted. At times these interventions function more to reduce the anxiety of a patient or clinician than they do to prevent an infection. These findings may have implications for analyses of clinical decision making that involve other types of interventions.