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Riccò M, Corrado S, Marchesi F, Bottazzoli M. Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Vaccination among Tourists in a High-Prevalence Area (Italy, 2023): A Cross-Sectional Study. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023; 8:491. [PMID: 37999610 PMCID: PMC10674593 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8110491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) represents a potential health threat for tourists in high-risk areas, including the Dolomite Mountains in northeastern Italy. The present questionnaire-based survey was, therefore, designed in order to assess knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices (KAP) in a convenience sample of Italian tourists visiting the Dolomite Mountains, who were recruited through online discussion groups. A total of 942 participants (39.2% males, with 60.2% aged under 50) filled in the anonymous survey from 28 March 2023 to 20 June 2023. Overall, 24.1% of participants were vaccinated against TBE; 13.8% claimed to have previously had tick bites, but no cases of TBE were reported. The general understanding of TBE was relatively low; while 79.9% of participants acknowledged TBE as a potentially severe disease, its occurrence was acknowledged as high/rather high or very high in the Dolomites area by only 51.6% of respondents. Factors associated with the TBE vaccine were assessed by the calculation of adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals through a logistic regression analysis model. Living in areas considered at high risk for TBE (aOR 3.010, 95%CI 2.062-4.394), better knowledge on tick-borne disorders (aOR 1.515, 95%CI 1.071-2.142), high risk perception regarding tick-borne infections (aOR 2.566, 95%CI 1.806-3.646), a favorable attitude toward vaccinations (aOR 3.824, 95%CI 1.774-8.224), and a tick bite(s) in a previous season (aOR 5.479, 95%CI 3.582-8.382) were characterized as being positively associated with TBE vaccination uptake. Conversely, being <50 years old (aOR 0.646, 95%CI, 0.458-0.913) and with a higher risk perception regarding the TBE vaccine (aOR 0.541, 95%CI 0.379-0.772) were identified as the main barriers to vaccination. In summary, tourists to the high-risk area of the Dolomites largely underestimate the potential occurrence of TBE. Even though the uptake of the TBE vaccine in this research was in line with European data, public health communication on TBE is required in order to improve acceptance of this effective preventive option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Riccò
- Occupational Health and Safety Service on the Workplace/Servizio di Prevenzione e Sicurezza Ambienti di Lavoro (SPSAL), Department of Public Health, AUSL–IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Silvia Corrado
- ASST Rhodense, Dipartimento della donna e Area Materno-Infantile, UOC Pediatria, 20024 Garbagnate Milanese, Italy;
| | - Federico Marchesi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy;
| | - Marco Bottazzoli
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, APSS Trento, 31223 Trento, Italy;
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Piamonte BLC, Easton A, Wood GK, Davies NWS, Granerod J, Michael BD, Solomon T, Thakur KT. Addressing vaccine-preventable encephalitis in vulnerable populations. Curr Opin Neurol 2023; 36:185-197. [PMID: 37078664 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000001158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Vaccinations have been pivotal in lowering the global disease burden of vaccine-preventable encephalitides, including Japanese encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis, measles encephalitis, and rabies encephalitis, among others. RECENT FINDINGS Populations vulnerable to vaccine-preventable infections that may lead to encephalitis include those living in endemic and rural areas, military members, migrants, refugees, international travelers, younger and older persons, pregnant women, the immunocompromised, outdoor, healthcare and laboratory workers, and the homeless. There is scope for improving the availability and distribution of vaccinations, vaccine equity, surveillance of vaccine-preventable encephalitides, and public education and information. SUMMARY Addressing these gaps in vaccination strategies will allow for improved vaccination coverage and lead to better health outcomes for those most at risk for vaccine-preventable encephalitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadeth Lyn C Piamonte
- Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines
| | - Ava Easton
- The Encephalitis Society, Malton
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
| | - Greta K Wood
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
- National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infection, University of Liverpool, Liverpool
| | - Nicholas W S Davies
- The Encephalitis Society, Malton
- Department of Neurology, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, NHS Trust
| | - Julia Granerod
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
- Dr JGW Consulting Ltd., London
| | - Benedict D Michael
- The Encephalitis Society, Malton
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
- National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infection, University of Liverpool, Liverpool
- Department of Neurology, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
| | - Tom Solomon
- The Encephalitis Society, Malton
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
- National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infection, University of Liverpool, Liverpool
- Department of Neurology, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
- Department of Neurological Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Kiran T Thakur
- The Encephalitis Society, Malton
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA
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Poulos C, Boeri M, Coulter J, Huang L, Schley K, Pugh SJ. Travelers' preferences for tick-borne encephalitis vaccination. Expert Rev Vaccines 2022; 21:1495-1504. [PMID: 36154795 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2022.2108798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to quantify preferences and risk tolerance for a tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccination. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A stated-preference survey instrument was administered to international travelers living in the United States to elicit preferences for a no-cost TBE vaccine when planning an international trip, conditional upon four different qualitative levels of endemic TBE risk. RESULTS The likelihood of choosing the vaccine increased with a destination's level of endemic risk. Most respondents (94%) would choose to receive the vaccine at the highest risk level presented in the survey (i.e. when multiple TBE cases among humans are reported year after year); 6% of the sample would choose not to receive the vaccine at any risk level. Respondents who engage in outdoor activities were twice as likely as the average respondent to choose vaccination rather than opting out of vaccination, and were one-third more likely than the average respondent to choose to receive the vaccine at the lowest risk level. CONCLUSIONS Respondents were highly interested in a TBE vaccine, assuming no cost, and most were willing to be vaccinated at all qualitative TBE risk levels. Respondents who participated in outdoor activities were more likely than the average respondent to choose the vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco Boeri
- RTI Health Solutions, Belfast, Northern Ireland
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Panatto D, Domnich A, Amicizia D, Reggio P, Iantomasi R. Vaccination against Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) in Italy: Still a Long Way to Go. Microorganisms 2022; 10:464. [PMID: 35208918 PMCID: PMC8880353 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is endemic in several European countries, and its incidence has recently increased. Various factors may explain this phenomenon: social factors (changes in human behavior, duration and type of leisure activities and increased tourism in European high-risk areas), ecological factors (e.g., effects of climate change on the tick population and reservoir animals), and technological factors (improved diagnostics, increased medical awareness). Furthermore, the real burden of TBE is not completely known, as the performance of surveillance systems is suboptimal and cases of disease are under-reported in several areas. Given the potentially severe clinical course of the disease, the absence of any antiviral therapy, and the impossibility of interrupting the transmission of the virus in nature, vaccination is the mainstay of prevention and control. TBE vaccines are effective (protective effect of approximately 95% after completion of the basic vaccination—three doses) and well tolerated. However, their uptake in endemic areas is suboptimal. In the main endemic countries where vaccination is included in the national/regional immunization program (with reimbursed vaccination programs), this decision was driven by a cost-effectiveness assessment (CEA), which is a helpful tool in the decision-making process. All CEA studies conducted have demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of TBE vaccination. Unfortunately, CEA is still lacking in many endemic countries, including Italy. In the future, it will be necessary to fill this gap in order to introduce an effective vaccination strategy in endemic areas. Finally, raising awareness of TBE, its consequences and the benefit of vaccination is critical in order to increase vaccination coverage and reduce the burden of the disease.
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Marano C, Moodley M, Melander E, De Moerlooze L, Nothdurft HD. Multinational survey shows low awareness of tick-borne encephalitis and rabies among travellers to endemic regions. J Travel Med 2019; 26:S1-S2. [PMID: 30561667 PMCID: PMC6376454 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/tay069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Hans D Nothdurft
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical Center of the University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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