Abstract
Objective: Meningococcal, rotavirus and Human papilloma virüs (HPV) vaccines which are approved but not yet involved in our national immunization programme, known to be efficient and safe, involved in national vaccination programmes of many countries, are applied according to parents’will in our country. In this study it is aimed to evaluate attitudes of pediatrists in our Ankara City Hospital, Children’s Hospital, status of their encountering invasive meningococcal disease and rotavirus gastroenteritis, vaccine refusal and their reasons.
Material and Methods: Questionnaire forms were filled out with 93 doctors (residents, specialists, professors) working in our Ankara City
Hospital, Children’s Hospital, pediatrics department and approving to involve in the study.
Results: The study enrolled a total of 93 participants 74 (79.6%) pediatrics residents, 16 (17.2%) specialists and 3 (3.2%) professors.
In our study all of the participants advised meningoccal vaccine whereas rotavirus vaccine was advised by 77 (82.8%) and HPV by 83
doctors (89.2%). There was no statistically significant difference between seniority and advice of vaccine. Among participants 32 of them
advised meningococcal vaccine starting form 2 months (34.4%) while15 of them advised after 24 months (16.1%). The advice of initiation
of vaccine was influenced by, will of early immunization, increased burden of disease due to increased immigration and cost. Vaccine
refusal was encountered rarely by 63 (67.7%) of the participant, whereas 21 (22.6%) of them encountered commonly and 9 (9.7%) of the
doctors never encountered vaccine refusal. Commonest reasons of vaccine refusal were wrong data and anxieties regarding the additive
substances of the vaccine (30.1%), fear of side affect due to vaccine (23.7%), thought of triggering autism by vaccine (23.7%), religious
reasons (17.2%) and lack of knowledge (17.2%).
Conclusion: Although not involved in national immunization programme, meningococcal, rotavirus and HPV vaccines were advised my
majority of the doctors. Commonest reason of vaccine refusal was observed as lack of knowledge or misinformation about vaccine and its
contents. More additive studies are warranted regarding vaccine refusal and hesitancy.
Keywords: Vaccine, Vaccine refusal, HPV, Meningococcus, Rotavirus
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