European region most sceptical in the world on vaccine safety

Europe named as the most sceptical region on vaccine safety in the world, according to the largest ever global survey of vaccine confidence. Researchers from Imperial College London and their collaborators surveyed nearly 66,000 people from 67 countries to explore their views on whether vaccines are important, safe, effective, and compatible with their religious beliefs. The study, published in the journal EBioMedicine , found that although overall sentiment towards vaccines was positive across the surveyed countries, there was significant variation in attitudes around the world. In particular, the researchers found that seven of the ten countries that were least confident in vaccine safety were in Europe: France, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Russia, Greece, Ukraine, Slovenia, and Armenia. Public confidence in vaccines, or lack thereof, likely influences vaccination rates in Europe Dr Nick Jones Department of Mathematics Lack of confidence in the importance, safety, and effectiveness of vaccines has previously led to public health issues such as outbreaks of measles and setbacks in global efforts to eradicate diseases such as polio. With recent disease outbreaks triggered by people refusing vaccination, these findings could provide valuable insights to help policymakers identify and address key issues in the way vaccines are perceived. The team found that France was the country with least confidence in vaccine safety, with 41 per cent of those surveyed disagreeing that vaccines are safe.