The State of Public Opinion on the Immunoprophylaxis of Infectious Diseases

Relevance. Mass immunization of the population is the most reliable way to prevent infectious diseases, but its effectiveness depends on a number of conditions, both objective and subjective. One of the main subjective factors should be considered the attitude of the population towards the question of the expediency and safety of mass vaccination. Aim. of the study is to assess the state of public opinion regarding the immunoprophylaxis of infectious diseases in different population groups. Materials and methods. A survey of Moscow residents (N=1035) was conducted in order to determine their attitude to the problem of specific prevention of infectious diseases. To analyze the data obtained, a distribution was made based on the presence/absence of higher education and the age of the respondent – up to 40 years and over 40 years. The method of parametric standardization of indicators was used to compare the values of unequal samples. Results. It was found that 83.0 % of respondents have a positive attitude towards mass vaccination, 17.0 % have a negative attitude towards it. It is shown that 86.0 % of people under the age of 40 approve of mass vaccination, while only 76.8 % over the age of 40 approve. The main sources of information for respondents of all groups were: the attending physician, visual campaigning in medical institutions, as well as official information posted on the websites of the Ministry of Health and Rospotrebnadzor. The importance of the media in shaping public attitudes towards mass immunization is relatively small. The media was mentioned by 8.4 % as a source of information, regardless of its orientation. Conclusions. The results of the sociological survey indicate that society does not sufficiently assess the relevance of the problem of infectious diseases and the importance of mass immunization as the main tool for its prevention. Despite the availability of evidence base and official recommendations, 17% of respondents expressed distrust of vaccination and consider it dangerous, while 9.6% indicated that they were not interested in this topic. These data indicate a lack of public awareness, which may contribute to a decrease in vaccination coverage and, as a result, an increased risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease.

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