Childhood vaccination rates in Europe stall, study finds

ROME - Childhood vaccination rates in Europe have stalled, a study published on Friday has found, reported German news agency dpa.

Vaccination is among the most effective public health interventions, yet vaccine hesitancy in the European Union had driven declining coverage and resurgences of vaccine-preventable diseases, researchers said.

Researchers looked at vaccination rates across seven vaccines in EU countries between 1980 and 2024.

Since 2019, 16 countries saw rates decline for four or more vaccines, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden, where all seven vaccines studied had a recent downward trend.

In Germany and Spain, vaccination rates for five of the seven vaccines declined, whereas in France and Italy coverage of four vaccines increased while three decreased.

Luxembourg and Portugal achieved at least 95 per cent coverage for all seven vaccines, while Romania was the lowest with less than 80 per cent.

Researchers said the drop in vaccination rates started between 2019 and 2022, coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic and its immediate aftermath. The decline may reflect pandemic-related disruptions to routine childhood vaccination services, they added.

Researchers said the drop in vaccination rates signalled increasing risks to herd and individual immunity.

"International, national and community actions are needed to reverse trends." - BERNAMA