In early April 2024, Economist Impact’s health policy team engaged with key experts across the vaccine ecosystem at the World Vaccine Congress (WVC) and presented findings from the Immunisation Readiness Index. The WVC brings together a variety of stakeholders to share knowledge and discuss the future of immunisation.
This year’s sessions covered a variety of areas including vaccine safety, covid-19 and market access. Vaccine hesitancy, in particular, was a frequent topic of discussion, with stakeholders raising ideas for addressing the root causes of vaccine hesitancy and improving uptake. Vaccine hesitancy, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is the “reluctance or refusal” of vaccination services, despite adequate availability. And this phenomenon is considered one of the top ten threats to global health.
Vaccine hesitancy continues to rise
Vaccine hesitancy has permeated conversations about vaccination for decades. Reluctance to receive vaccines and vaccinate children prevents countries from achieving immunisation goals and stopping the spread of diseases amenable to vaccination. Misinformation, a decline in public trust in vaccines and politicisation have all contributed to the increase in vaccine-hesitant individuals and, consequently, a decrease in the uptake of vaccines despite improved availability. For example, a 2021 study on vaccine hesitancy and misinformation in the US found that exposure to misinformation about covid-19 vaccines resulted in much lower vaccination rates. The same study found that politicisation—or political affiliation—was a strong predictor of willingness to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.
During the covid-19 pandemic, there was also an increase in debate about vaccine safety and necessity, leading to lower rates of vaccination around the world. Similarly, UNICEF has reported that more than 67m children did not receive their routine immunisations during the first two years of the pandemic, with coverage decreasing in at least 112 countries globally.
Gauging public attitudes is key
Understanding the state of vaccine confidence is the first step in addressing vaccine hesitancy. Yet findings from our Immunisation Readiness Index indicate that only 53% of countries have conducted a survey to understand public attitudes towards vaccines. And “Domain 5: Outreach” of the index, which considers efforts to build public trust in vaccines and encourage uptake, has the lowest average performance of all index domains.
A multifaceted approach is needed
Addressing vaccine hesitancy requires a strategic, multifaceted approach that includes improving health literacy, promoting open communication and building public trust in vaccines and the scientific community. Changing the language we use to describe vaccine hesitancy is crucial to this effort. Terms like “anti-vax” can alienate people with legitimate safety concerns and those with cultural or religious practices that make them hesitant to accept new vaccines, experts at the WVC explained. Stakeholders from across the vaccine ecosystem can play a role: providers (physicians, pharmacists, etc), industry leaders and other stakeholders each have a role to play in reducing vaccine hesitancy. The global vaccine community must work to understand why individuals are vaccine-hesitant and include people from all backgrounds and communities in conversations about immunisation to make meaningful improvements in uptake.
Learn more about what countries are doing to create an enabling environment for equitable and sustainable immunisation and our involvement at the WVC here: https://impact.economist.com/health/vaccineecosystem/
