A Third Of The UK Doesn't Understand Importance Of Vaccination

Main Category: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 04 Sep 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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More than one in three people in the UK are not aware of the diseases which can be prevented by vaccination, thereby potentially putting themselves and others at risk, according to new research revealed recently.1 The research is part of a vaccine awareness campaign launched today by an alliance of leading UK medical experts with the support of Tony Robinson, of Time Teamand Blackadder fame, to improve public understanding of the importance of immunisation.

Results of the survey show that:1

-- One in five people incorrectly believe that polio has been eradicated from the world
-- Two thirds of people don't know that smallpox has been eradicated from the world
-- Two out of five incorrectly believe that malaria is a vaccine-preventable disease
-- Almost two thirds don't know that typhoid is a vaccine-preventable disease
-- One in ten incorrectly believe that HIV/AIDS is a vaccine-preventable disease

Medical experts warn that in countries such as the UK, vaccines are increasingly being taken for granted, which may result in a decrease in uptake.

Dr Jane Zuckerman, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Travel Medicine at the Academic Centre for Travel Medicine and Vaccines, cautioned: "The level of the public's lack of knowledge exposed by these results is extremely worrying. We hope that with the launch of this UK-wide campaign people of all ages will be more aware of the importance of appropriate immunisation. If enough people decide not to be vaccinated, then we run a real risk of spreading infectious disease. We have seen cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as typhoid, on the increase because people travel abroad to endemic areas without being vaccinated and return unwell to the UK."

The eradication of smallpox from the globe in 1980 is considered one of the greatest medical achievements and yet almost two thirds of people are not aware of this fact. One in five of us mistakenly believe that polio, a disease which still requires vaccination, has been wiped out.1 - 3 Worryingly, over one in ten adults in the UK incorrectly believe that there is a vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS.1 The term vaccination derives from the name for the smallpox vaccine, vaccinia, which was the first successful vaccine ever to be developed in 1796 by a country doctor from Gloucestershire, Edward Jenner.4

The World Health Organization estimates that vaccination saves over two million lives worldwide each year and anticipates that globally, up to four or five million deaths will be prevented by 2015 through sustained and appropriate immunisation programmes.5 To help improve understanding of vaccines and the importance of immunisation, a series of three booklets entitled Valuing Vaccines has been published by the UK Vaccine Industry Group and is available on request. Written by an independent editorial board of immunisation specialists, the booklets explore the myths and realities surrounding vaccines and contain information on the importance of immunisation programmes, the current UK vaccine immunisation programme and discuss global initiatives to increase vaccination rates.

Dr Linda Diggle, Immunisation Nurse Specialist and editorial board member commented, "If we are to harness the power of vaccines to protect individuals and improve public health, we need to empower people with the right informational tools to achieve this goal. These booklets form an important part of the arsenal in the fight against vaccine-preventable disease. We have a duty of care to take every opportunity open to us to protect individuals, especially children, from these health risks."

The Valuing Vaccines Survey also revealed that more than half of us don't realise that chickenpox is vaccine-preventable and six out of ten are not aware that there is a vaccine for typhoid fever, a disease which kills over half a million people per year globally.1,6 Furthermore, in the UK there have been over 10,000 cases of malaria and more than 50 malaria-related deaths due to travel to malaria-endemic areas since 2001. Despite this, more than a third of us incorrectly believe that we can vaccinate against malaria.1,7

Tony Robinson, a staunch campaigner for important health issues, has a very personal reason for being involved in this campaign. While researching his family tree he discovered that his great aunt, Maud Nutley, died in 1884 of diphtheria when she was only three years old. Thousands of other families were similarly devastated by diseases which are now vaccine-preventable. Up until the diphtheria vaccine was introduced to the UK in 1940, the disease killed over 2,000 people per year; however, thanks to an effective immunisation programme there were only two diphtheria deaths between 1986 and 2002.8,9 Launching the campaign, Tony Robinson said, "My great aunt passed away in 1884 of diphtheria when she was only three years old. It's easy to forget about the devastating effects that these infections had on individuals, their families and often entire communities. It is vital we are all aware of the diseases we should be vaccinating against because in this case, prevention really is better than the cure."

There are over 25 vaccines currently available.10 This number will increase significantly over the next decade as exciting new technologies are being developed to tackle other infectious diseases as well as conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

References

1. GFK NOP conducted the Valuing Vaccines Survey among 1001 people, July 2007.

2. American Council on Science and Health (ACSH). ACSH's 25th Anniversary; Award Recipients - Dr. Donald A. Henderson. December 2003. Available here.

3. Virology - 11th International Congress9-13 August 1999, Sydney, Australia. Available here.

4. Allen A. Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver. 2007.

5. WHO website. Immunization, vaccines and biologicals. Available at: http://www.who.int/immunization/en/

6. WHO website. Diarrhoeal Diseases: Typhoid Fever. Available here.

7. Health Protection Agency. Malaria - Epidemiology. Available here

8. Salisbury D, Ramsay M, Noakes K, editors. Immunisation against infectious disease. London: Stationery Office, 2006.

9. Health Protection Agency. General Information - Diphtheria. Available here.

10. Joint Formulary Committee. British National Formulary. 53 ed. London: British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain; 2007.

Valuing Vaccines Survey

An independent survey of 1,001 people was conducted by GFK in July 2007. Summary of results are below, please contact SHPR for further information:

-- 20% of respondents incorrectly believe that polio has been eradicated from the world
-- Just over one third of respondents correctly identified smallpox as having been eradicated from the world
-- One in six respondents would not hazard a guess as to which disease had been eradicated
-- More than half of respondents did not correctly identify chickenpox as a vaccine-preventable disease
-- Almost two thirds of respondents did not correctly identify typhoid as a vaccine-preventable disease
-- Two out of five respondents incorrectly identified malaria as a vaccine-preventable disease
-- One in ten respondents incorrectly identified HIV/AIDS as a vaccine-preventable disease
-- More than one third of respondents incorrectly identified meningitis B as a vaccine-preventable disease
-- Less than 5% know there is a vaccine against rotavirus

About Tony Robinson

Over the last couple of decades Tony Robinson has emerged as one of Britain's foremost faces of popular history, a creator of a worldwide comedy icon and as an award-winning writer of children's books and television. Tony presents Channel 4's archaeology series Time Team and played Baldrick in Blackadder. He also devised and wrote four series of the BBCs Maid Marian and Her Merry Men in which he played the Sherriff of Nottingham. He recently made two series of The Worst Jobs in History, and last year a documentary about the elderly entitled Me and My Mum. Tony's great grandmother's sister, Maud Nutley, died from diphtheria in 1884 when she was three years old.

About the Value of Vaccines Editorial Board

Dr Linda Diggle is an Immunisation Nurse Specialist at the States of Jersey Health and Social Services Department.
Dr Nigel Higson is a full-time GP in Brighton and Chairman of the Primary Care Virology Group
Dr George Kassianos is a GP based in Bracknell, Berkshire where he is also the elected Executive Partner. Dr Kassianos is the spokesperson on immunisation for the RCGP and the British Travel Health Association, a fellow of the Faculty of Travel Medicine RCPS Glasgow and member of the Education Committee ISTM.
Professor Margaret Stanley is Professor of Epithelial Biology, Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge.
Dr Jane Zuckerman is Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Travel Medicine at the Academic Centre for Travel Medicine and Vaccines, Royal Free and University College Medical School and Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, London.

About UVIG

The UK Vaccine Industry Group (UVIG) is committed to communicating all aspects of vaccination and the benefits it brings to the health of our nation. The UK Vaccine Industry Group, working within the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), aims to:

- promote the positive benefits of vaccination as a key element in improving the health of the nation
- represent the UK vaccine industry to all interested parties

The UK Vaccine Industry Group's members include the following companies at the forefront of the fight against infectious disease: Baxter Healthcare; Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics; GlaxoSmithKline; Sanofi Pasteur MSD; Solvay Healthcare and Wyeth Vaccines.

http://www.uvig.org