Vaccination is considered one of the greatest medical achievements of the 20th century. It helped to eradicate smallpox and is crucial in reducing the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases. Nevertheless, a growing number of European citizens are losing trust in vaccination, either putting it off or refusing vaccination outright. The World Health Organisation (WHO) included vaccine hesitancy among the top ten global health threats in 2019.
Already in 2016, Europe was found to be the region in the world with the lowest confidence in the safety of vaccines and in 2018 EU member states reported increasing numbers of cases of measles. This CHES Policy Dialogue looked into the state of vaccine confidence in the European Union, the reasons behind decreasing confidence in vaccination and how to address it.
Speakers included: Hans Martens, Senior Adviser, European Policy Centre, Emilie Karafillakis, Research Fellow, The Vaccine Confidence ProjectTM, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Annabel Seebohm, Secretary-General, Standing Committee of European Doctors, Ivo Vojtek, representative of Vaccines Europe, Radu Ganescu, Vice-President, European Patients Forum.