VOLUME 4 , ISSUE 1 ( January-March, 2022 ) > List of Articles
Naveen Thacker, Shraddha Uttekar
Citation Information : Thacker N, Uttekar S. Vaccine Hesitancy: What Critical Role can Healthcare Professionals Play?. Pediatr Inf Dis 2022; 4 (1):11-12.
DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10081-1334
License: CC BY-NC 4.0
Published Online: 08-02-2022
Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2022; The Author(s).
Vaccines have made an enormous contribution to the health and well-being of all. However, persistent disparities still exist in the adoption of new vaccines and sustained vaccination rates because some people still question or doubt vaccines’ value and importance in both developed and developing countries. Therefore, a potential contributor to the success of vaccination programs is vaccine acceptance, and thus understanding the complex mix of factors that determine individual and collective vaccination behavior is key to design effective vaccination policy, programs, and target interventions. With vaccine confidence being a relatively new concept in understanding vaccine acceptance, one determinant of vaccine confidence that is consistently shown to correlate with vaccination behavior is a recommendation from a healthcare professional (HCP), who is always the most trusted voice on vaccines. Consistent with a large body of research, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the important role of HCP as the cornerstone of public acceptance of vaccination. And, perhaps most importantly, the foundation of vaccination acceptance is public trust, trust in vaccine and vaccine producers in the HCPs and the health authorities and government. It is thus essential to recognize that confidence now plays a central role in vaccine acceptance, and investments and efforts are needed to ensure that high levels of trust exist in recommended vaccines, the healthcare workers who provide them, and the entities and processes involved in vaccination policies and recommendations.