Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2025
Detection of Polyfunctional T Cells in Children Vaccinated with Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine via the Flow Cytometry Technique
Published on: September 23, 2022
Vaccine Hesitancy in Central Switzerland: Identifying and Characterizing Undervaccinated Children in a Pediatric
Anika Ménétrey1,2, Markus A Landolt3,4,5, Michael Buettcher6,7
1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Lucerne, Spitalstrasse, 6000 Lucerne, Switzerland.
Insights
Vaccine hesitancy is a public health concern. This study found fewer unvaccinated children than expected in a Swiss pediatric emergency department, suggesting opportunistic vaccinations can help improve coverage.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Vaccinations are crucial for preventing serious diseases.
- Vaccine hesitancy presents challenges for public health initiatives.
- Central Switzerland was anecdotally identified as a region with high vaccine hesitancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated children in a tertiary pediatric emergency department (PED).
- To assess the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy in a specific region of Switzerland.
- To evaluate the potential role of the PED in improving vaccination rates.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study was conducted.
- Patients (N=20,247) presenting to the PED between September 2018 and September 2019 were screened.
- Vaccination status was categorized as incomplete, unvaccinated, or fully vaccinated.
Main Results:
- 2.6% (n=526) of PED visits involved children who were unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or had unknown vaccination status.
- Most children were not critically ill, and few required hospitalization.
- Undervaccinated patients were more common in rural areas; 18 patients received opportunistic vaccinations in the PED.
Conclusions:
- The prevalence of unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated children in this Swiss PED was lower than anticipated.
- The pediatric emergency department setting offers opportunities for administering vaccinations.
- Targeted interventions may be needed for rural populations to address vaccine hesitancy.
Abstract:
Vaccinations play an important role in the prevention of potentially fatal diseases. Vaccine hesitancy has become an important problem both in the public discourse and for public health. We aimed to identify and characterize this potentially unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated group of children presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED) of the tertiary children's hospital in central Switzerland, a region that has anecdotally been claimed as a hotspot for vaccine hesitancy. All patients presenting to the PED (N = 20,247) between September 2018 and September 2019 were screened for their vaccination status and categorized as incomplete, unvaccinated, or fully vaccinated in a retrospective cohort study. Some 2.6% (n = 526) visits to the PED were not or incompletely vaccinated according to age, or their vaccination status was unknown. Most of the children in the cohort were not critically ill, and the minority had to be hospitalized. Undervaccinated patients were overrepresented in rural areas. Of all cohort visits, 18 (3.4%) patients received opportunistic vaccination in the PED. No cases of vaccine-preventable diseases were observed. In summary, incompletely vaccinated and unvaccinated status was less frequent than initially expected. The PED may play a role in increasing vaccination coverage by providing opportunistic vaccinations.
Related Concept Videos
01:51Vaccinations
01:17Ethical Dilemmas I
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
00:42Cross-reactivity