Health worker recommended vaccination rates among medical students in Brazil

Health workers are a risk population for many infectious diseases, which leads to a number of vaccines being routinely recommended for health care staff. Medical students are also prone to such hazards. This study accesses undergraduate medicine students' compliance to recommended health-staff vaccination, and their reasons for noncompliance.

An online questionnaire was sent to all undergraduates in a major public medical school in Brazil, asking about vaccination status to Hepatitis B, Measle-mumps-rubella, Varicella, Pertussis and Influenza, and reasons in case of noncompliance.

146 students answered the questionnaire, (response rate 14,6%). Overall vaccination status showed 74,7% of students with incomplete vaccination in some way, with an increase in vaccination status toward the end of the course. The highest noncompliance rates were Pertussis (49,3%), Varicella (47,3%) and Influenza (30,1%) vaccines. The vaccine with the lowest noncompliance rate was measles (9,6%). During the course, the greatest increases in adequate vaccination status were Hepatitis B, from 53,2% in first-years to 93,2% by the end sixth year (chi-sq 21, p < 0,0001), and Influenza, from 48,9% to 91,5% (chi-sq 22,5, p < 0,00009). Main reasons given not to vaccinate were vaccination hesitancy for influenza and varicella (respectively 61% and 46%), and lack of awareness of the need to vaccinate for pertussis (53%).

Overall vaccine coverage in medical students in Brazil is still far from optimal. There is a markedly high level of vaccine hesitancy and unawareness of need to vaccinate for some diseases, particularly pertussis and influenza.Clinical trial registry (Brazilian regulation boards): 24159119.3.0000.0065.