I'm a Pediatric Neurologist seriously concerned about unaware parents who refuse to vaccinate their children 

Vaccines: to protect your children's brain.

(aquí en español)…

I work as a Senior Expert on communicable diseases for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Views and opinions in this article are all mine and do not reflect those of ECDC.

Breakfast in a breathtaking view: Acropolis stands up majestically, as they were – I imagine – a very long time ago. I also imagine Ancient Greeks walking under the olive…

 Why, as a pediatrician, do I think there is a need for child immunization?  And not only a need, but a NECESSITY?

I grew up in a country where if you were told “the Party says you should do something”  – the Comsomol (Young Communist League) replied “Yes!”.  This is certainly a joke, but in general, it reflects the situation very well.  We lived, studied, played sports, helped our parents, and, if it was needed, we were vaccinated.  Just like that – no one ever thought of whether…

Почему я, педиатр, считаю, что вакцинировать детей нужно? И не просто нужно, а ОБЯЗАТЕЛЬНО нужно?!

Я выросла в стране, где, если «Партия говорила: «Надо!», - то Комсомол отвечал: «Есть!». Это, конечно, шутка, но общий смысл передает очень точно. Мы жили, учились, занимались спортом, помогали родителям, и, если было нужно, вакцинировались. Именно так, - никто особенно не задумывался – нужно ли, безопасно ли, а может увильнуть?.. Нет, все были абсолютно уверенны, что…

Ricardo Cortés Lastra, Member of the European Parliament, looks at the vital role of immunization from a global perspective.

This week we are celebrating immunisation week.  What best occasion to come back on the progress made but also to look at challenges for scaling up and improve child health.

Everyday 19,000 children die, mainly of preventable diseases. The world has made progress over the last 25 years since, with a 40%…

Dear colleagues

On this post you can see the immunization information system of our region, Valencian Community (Spain).

(Valencian Community population are 5,100,000 people).

The SIV is a population-based nominal record that meets the requirements of confidentiality, security, simplicity, flexibility, compatibility, accessibility, thoroughness, data quality, and information feedback.

There are number of factors influencing decisions to vaccinate or not. The resistance of certain population groups and individuals to immunize their children has been debated by public health specialists for a number of years. Reasons for not vaccinating can vary – ranging from having a complicated relationship with the access to health services to personal religious and philosophical beliefs.



The barriers to vaccination associated with health systems’ organization include…

Pierluigi from ECDC has a dream about a world where scientific evidence is more rewarding than rumours, blogged on this site a couple of days ago. I have a similar dream, of people deciding whether or not to get the flu vaccine based on facts. So let’s start off with some important facts:

• the trivalent inactivated vaccine (TIV) that is mostly used (this contains the 3 influenza virus strains known as seasonal influenza) is considered safe. In a very…

The national institute of public health (NIPH) published information about the week on the NIPH webpages:

Utbrudd av meslinger og rubella i Europa kan stoppes og sykdommene utryddes

In addition, this animated information video (silent) about measles and the importance of high vaccination coverage with…

Denmark enjoys relatively high HPV coverage - . There are a number of reasons for this, one of the most important is that we looked at our own health care system and integrated HPV-vaccination in the normal childhood immunization programme.  Other factors were careful planning for introduction of this new vaccine, transparency in decision making, focus on communication for health professionals and the public, preparation for reports of adverse events and support from…

Our colleagues in Wales are working all hours fighting an outbreak of measles that has put some 80 people in hospital. There are just short of 900 cases and, tragically, a 25 year old man suffering from measles died last week. I caught up with Dr Marion Lyons Consultant in Communicable Disease Control and the National Lead for Health Protection at Public Health Wales.…

We call them childhood diseases, associating them with the flushed, feverish cheeks of toddlers in pyjamas. But disease does not respect age boundaries and, as thousands of grown ups have already found out this year, you don’t have to be under five to catch measles. Increasingly we are seeing diseases like measles in susceptible adolescents and young adults.

 The consequences can be severe both physically and in terms of life disruption – long absences from school, loss of educational…

In this day and age, with all kinds of means of communication and all what we can find on the internet, scientific evidence alone has become insufficient to convince the public of the benefits of vaccination, surely if in addition to that, anti vaccine groups widely spread false information based on fallacies and deceptions.

For hesitant parents stuck between hard scientific data and fears caused by antivaxers, it‘s crucial that they take the good decision.

And it’s here that…

I am Pier Luigi Lopalco, heading the Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Programme of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the ECDC's positions or opinions.

A prestigious medical journal published a paper suggesting an association between use of safety belts in cars and lung cancer. The hypothesis was very sophisticated butthe biological link unclear;  the author of the study…

Marking the World Immunization Week, an innovative UNICEF working paper tracks the rise of online anti-vaccination sentiments in Central and Eastern Europe.

UNICEF Tracking anti-vaccine sentiments in social media

Using…

I work as a senior expert on communicable diseases for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The views and opinions expressed in this EIW blog are my personal ones and do not reflect those of ECDC.

Like many other communicable diseases, measles fluctuates over time. It has a seasonal variation with more cases occurring during spring and early summer and it also has a longer cycle with regular peaks separated by years with low transmission.…

Vaccines are arguably safer and better tested then anything else we put into our bodies. Safer than drugs. Safer than antibiotics. Safer than vitamins. Most people would agree that vaccines are probably safer than drugs and antibiotics, both of which have recognizable side effects. But vitamins? That’s a lot harder to believe. Even though it’s true.    

Vitamins help convert food into energy. Without them, people suffer diseases like beriberi, pellagra, scurvy, and rickets: caused by…

Developed in the Netherlands for orthodox Protestant parents and for healthcare professionals dealing with those parents.The brochures are based on the results of Helma Ruijs' (RIVM) thesis on Acceptance of Vaccination among Orthodox Protestants in The Netherlands.

The aim of the brochure for the parents is to stimulate them to make a deliberate decision on vaccination. The brochure was made in cooperation with a Christian patients' organization and largely consists of interviews with…

European Immunization Week 2013

Flanders Region – Belgium

Top G[1]. MD

Operation Vaccination! Give the measles the fatal jab!

In Flanders vaccinations against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) are given at the age of 12 months for the first dose and to children in the 5^th year of primary school (aged about 10 years) for the second dose. A recent vaccination coverage study (EPI-survey) from 2012 indicates…