Determinants of European parents' decision on the vaccination of their children against measles, mumps and rubella: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Low measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization levels in European children highlight the importance of identifying determinants of parental vaccine uptake to implement policies for increasing vaccine compliance. The aim of this paper is to identify the main factors associated with partial and full MMR vaccination uptake in European parents, and combine the different studies to obtain overall quantitative measures. This activity is included within the ESCULAPIO project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health. ORs and CIs were extracted, sources of heterogeneity explored and publication bias assessed. Forty-five papers were retrieved for the qualitative study, 26 of which were i…

Hospitalisation of children aged 0-59 months with rotavirus gastro-enteritis before the introduction of routine vaccination (Sicily 2003-2012).

Background: Recent evidence demonstrates that rotavirus vaccination is the best strategy for reducing rotavirus gastro-enteritis (RVGE) in young children. Aims: This study describes the epidemiology of RVGE hospitalisation of Sicilian children before universal rotavirus vaccination was introduced into the regional immunisation programme in January 2013. Methods: An observational study was undertaken by analyzing data obtained from the Regional Hospital Discharge database, including hospitalisation from 2003 to 2012 of subjects aged 0-59 months who lived in Sicily. Children discharged with the rotavirus-specific ICD-9-CM code of 008·61 on first or any diagnosis stage were considered to be RV…

Carcinoma della cervice uterina: Monitoraggio delle strategie di prevenzione primaria e secondaria nella provincia di Palermo.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Energy Drink Consumption and Side Effects in a Cohort of Medical Students

The purpose of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning energy drink consumption and the prevalence of side effects among medical students. Twenty-two percent of respondents were regular users, particularly men (p < .0005). Users were younger (p = .027) and drank alcohol more frequently (p = .008) than "non-users." Forty-nine percent consumed alcohol associated with energy drinks. Forty-five percent of medical students declared side effects after energy drink consumption, such as palpitations (35%), insomnia (21%), and irritability (20%). The study confirms a large use of energy drinks among students and the occurrence of side effects. The use of energy drin…

Information sources and knowledge on vaccination in a population from southern Italy: The ESCULAPIO project

Vaccine knowledge of the general population is shaped by different information sources and strongly influences vaccination attitudes and uptake. The CCM-Italian Ministry of Health ESCULAPIO project attempted to identify the role of such information sources, in order to address adequate strategies to improve information on vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases. In the present study, data on 632 adults from Southern Italy regarding information sources were collected, and their perceived and actual knowledge on vaccinations were compared and analyzed in relation to socio-demographic characteristics and information sources. The main reported reference sources were general practitioners (GPs…

L’ESPERIENZA DELLA SICILIA QUALE REGIONE CAPOFILA NELLA INTRODUZIONE DELLA VACCINAZIONE UNIVERSALE CONTRO I ROTAVIRUS

La gastroenterite da rotavirus (GARV) rappresenta uno dei principali bisogni assistenziali durante l’età pediatrica. Purtroppo, in Italia, in assenza di notifica obbligatoria e di specifici sistemi di sorveglianza, le uniche valutazioni epidemiologiche disponibili sulle GARV sono rese possibili dall’analisi delle ospedalizzazioni. Il presente lavoro ha avuto l’obiettivo di valutare le ospedalizzazioni per GARV e per intussuscezione, avvenute in Sicilia in soggetti di età compresa tra 0 e 60 mesi, negli anni 2003-2012 (periodo prevaccinale) e 2013 (anno di introduzione della vaccinazione antirotavirus). Nel periodo in esame si sono osservate 9.886 ospedalizzazioni per GARV con una media annu…

The impact of ten years of infant universal Varicella vaccination in Sicily, Italy (2003-2012).

Introduction Universal varicella vaccination in Sicily was introduced in infant population since 2003, with a rapidly increasing coverage. Aim of the present study was to analyze changes in the epidemiology of varicella since the introduction of universal vaccination. Methods The study was performed by analyzing Sicilian administrative/clinical data on varicella case notifications and hospitalizations from 2003 to 2012 (ICD-9-CM discharge diagnosis codes 052 and 052.×). MMR+V and V coverage were also calculated for each birth cohort. Moreover, blood samples drawn in 2013/2014 from general population stratified by age were tested for varicella antibodies. Results From 2003 to 2012, 15 433 va…