The 56th National Congress of the Italian Society of Hygiene is underway in Rome with a record number of around 3,000 members. The works kicked off, after the greetings of the Authorities, with the Magistral Report “Europe and Prevention”, edited by Walter Riccardi
The 56th National Congress of the Italian Hygiene Society opened yesterday with a speech by the SItI President, Roberta Siliquini, with a “record” number of around 3,000 members. Among the authorities present, Silvio Brusaferro, President of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Antonella Polimeni, Rector of La Sapienza, Roberto Monaco, National Secretary of FNOMCeO (National Federation of Surgeons and Dentists) and Giuseppe Quintavalle, Extraordinary Commissioner of ASL Rome 1 After a Magisterial Report by Walter Riccardi, Full Professor of Hygiene at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Catholic University, who spoke of “Europe and prevention”, the Congress began with the first plenary session, dedicated to hesitation vaccinate them. This phenomenon has long been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) – and by the international scientific community – as one of the major threats to global health and currently represents a substantial priority for Public Health.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has accentuated the relevance of vaccine hesitancy for population health. First of all, the interruption and reduction of vaccination activities during the early stages of the pandemic, accompanied by fear of exposing themselves to the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection, have led to an overall decrease in routine vaccination coverage. According to data from WHO and UNICEF, worldwide, this substantial reduction continued until 2021, the year in which vaccination coverage was 5% lower than in the pre-pandemic period: a setback so conspicuous as to be defined as the most impressive of the last 30 years. There have also been declines in pediatric vaccinations. Vaccination coverage for polio and measles, at 24 months, remains below the 95% threshold recommended by the WHO to limit the circulation of pathogens, but efforts to recover missed vaccinations have borne fruit as witnessed by the increase coverage for polio at 36 months (+0.93%) and 48 months (+0.19%) which indicate the effectiveness of recovery activities.
At the same time, the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign has been both a success and an occasion for heated debate on the subject of vaccinations. In fact, on the one hand, numerous aspects of these campaigns can be exploited to optimize other immunization programmes, taking advantage of what is applied in the field of logistics and information systems management. On the other hand, it has emerged in the population one lack of trust in vaccinations and in the authorities which, added to a poor perception of the risk of contracting the disease and the development of vaccination fatigue, has contributed to curbing coverage by determining poor adherence to booster doses.
In this post-pandemic context, the challenges facing public health professionals are manifold. Attention must remain high in planning strategies to recover missed vaccinations during the emergency through catch-up actions and to promote adherence to booster doses for anti-COVID-19 vaccination, adapting planning to evidence gradually available regarding the need and timing of recalls.
It is necessary to monitor coverage through the optimization of vaccination registries and promote the use of shared tools to examine the determinants of vaccination hesitancy. In fact, it is essential to rely on data and evidence to understand the reasons for poor adherence and guide strategies to improve coverage and reduce inequalities. Investigating the determinants can help identify groups at risk, understood not only as at risk of developing complications following vaccine-preventable diseases but also – and above all – at risk of presenting higher levels of hesitation, in order to design interventions and initiatives aim.
It is also necessary addressing vaccine hesitancy also in view of One Health, promoting multidisciplinarity and dialogue between scientific societies. Developing interventions to counter vaccine hesitancy is even more important both considering the crucial role of vaccines in promptly responding to possible future health emergencies and anticipating the supply of new vaccines in the near future. Recent data have shown that, in Europe alone, around 100 new vaccines are being developed – almost half of which are aimed at diseases for which there are no registered vaccines yet – which aim to address urgent challenges such as, for example, the burden of respiratory tract infections, antibiotic resistance and zoonotic infections. To strengthen preparedness and response to health emergencies, it is also essential to recognize the role of international collaborations not only in the field of research, but also to ensure that all countries have unhindered access to vaccines.
In addition, it is essential to consider the infodemic that accompanied the pandemic and the vaccination campaign and contributed to the dissemination of an excessive amount of information, frequently inaccurate and often intentionally distorted, making clear the relevance of new media and underlining the urgent need to develop clear and transparent responses in the field of communication in order to counter misinformation and distrust in vaccinations and in the authorities who promote them.
“The successful and extensive vaccination campaign against Covid – he declares Roberta Siliquini, President of the Italian Society of Hygiene – however, a problem has emerged, namely the lack of sensitivity on the part of a small part of the population in relation to vaccines. This can be linked to many factors, but above all to a loss of trust in the institutions and in their methods of communication. It is therefore important, for the future, to address this problem through correct information campaigns, with analyzes of who are those who have little faith in Science, in order to be ready for any new Pandemics, above all caused by what are called ‘zoonoses ‘. It is therefore a problem of One Health that will have to be tackled in the near future not only through well-conducted scientific studies, but also through the identification of those more fragile or less inclined subjects to vaccinations who could be more at risk. This in order to be able to guarantee an equitable distribution of vaccination, i.e. of an extremely safe and effective health technology to the entire population”.
The use of new means of communication certainly represents a challenge but also a resource and an opportunity for the study and monitoring of gaps in the levels of knowledge of the population regarding vaccinations and for correct and widespread information, which must take into account the potential of a multidisciplinary collaboration between health professionals and communication professionals. In this context, the adoption of the National Vaccination Prevention Plan 2023-2025 will be a step of fundamental importance to guarantee a uniform provision of the vaccination offer throughout Italy and to provide shared objectives and strategies regarding key issues, such as, for example, the computerization and strengthening of communication and training.
The 56th National Congress will continue today, where other topical issues will be addressed. We note, for example, the plenary session “War economy and impact on public health“. A meeting where the economic crisis and health inequalities, the sustainability of health systems in the current geopolitical scenario, but also health emergencies will be discussed.
