Parents' and Health Professionals' Attitudes to Advancing Primary MMR Vaccine Administration from Fifteen to Six Months of Age-A Qualitative Thematic Analysis Embedded in a Randomized Trial.

Declining levels and duration of passively acquired maternal antibodies prompted a Danish trial to test the feasibility of advancing administration of the first measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR1) from 15 to 6 months of age. A trial-embedded qualitative study aimed to understand parents' (N = 24) and health professionals' (N = 11) attitudes about the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) in general and about advancing MMR1 administration. Overly positive parent attitudes were contrasted by members of a vaccine-skeptical organization including parents considering that their child was seriously vaccine-injured long ago. Parents' attitudes to advancing MMR1 mirrored their attitudes about the MMR vaccine in general, with four positions along a continuum of trust in the healthcare system: unquestioning trust, acceptance after careful consideration, challenging indecisiveness, and defensive rejection. Low tolerance was identified between vaccine supporters and vaccine opponents. Parents of children with perceived serious vaccine-related injuries described lifelong unresolved feelings of guilt. Supporters of advanced MMR1 saw it as a timely and convenient administration of a well-known vaccine, whereas opponents feared it would disturb the children's immature immune systems and emphasized difficulties in recognizing side effects so early in life. Health professionals were supportive of advancing the MMR1 vaccine and they carefully challenged the parents. Current MMR vaccine supporters show readiness to advance MMR1 administration.

Anti-vaccine movements - a form of social activity for health care, ignorance or diversion aimed at destabilizing the health situation? Part 1. Epidemiological safety. Vaccinations - pros and cons.

INTRODUCTION: Vaccinations are a way accepted by science of preventing infectious diseases. Because of their epidemiological significance, vaccinations are considered compulsory in many countries and their evasion is penalized. Anti-vaccine movements may pose a threat to the epidemiological situation in many countries. The study presents the arguments formulated by opponents of vaccination and provides counter-arguments. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study is based on the analysis of data stored in scientific databases, information obtained from Google, Bing and Yahoo on the Internet, as well as newspapers, magazines and opinion-forming websites. RESULTS: The slogans propagated by anti-vaccination movements are usually based on easily proven erroneous theories and lies, although there are also arguments expressing belief in the conspiracy of governments, politicians and vaccine manufacturers, or incompetence of scientists and practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: In recent years in Poland, the activity of movements against vaccination has increased significantly, and their propaganda, through its negative impact on social attitudes, threatens to destabilize the epidemiological situation. Analysis of arguments used by the opponents of vaccination suggests a lack of reliable knowledge, religious overtones (addressed to people with fundamentalist personalities), or the ill-will attitudes of anti-vaccine individuals/groups used for their own purposes. Familiarization with the arguments of anti-vaccine propaganda is necessary in order to implement effective methods of fighting such attitudes and beliefs.