Eurosurveillance
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Italy introduced a national law extending the number of compulsory vaccines from four to 10 in July 2017. The implementation placed a further burden on immunisation centres as they were required to cover the increased demand of vaccination by the parents of unvaccinated children. Vaccine coverage (VC) estimated 6 months and 1 year later, at 24 and 30 months (same birth cohort), had increased for all vaccines. ⋯ In six of 21 regions and autonomous provinces, VC for measles was >95%. Despite the implementation of this law, vaccine hesitancy is still a problem in Italy and the political and social debate on mandatory vaccination is ongoing. Regardless of the policy to be adopted in the future, strategies to maintain high vaccination rates and the related herd immunity should be considered, including adequate communication to the population and the implementation of electronic immunisation registries.
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BackgroundVaccination policy in France was previously characterised by the coexistence of eight recommended and three mandatory vaccinations for children younger than 2 years old. These 11 vaccines are now mandatory for all children born after 1 January 2018. AimTo study the French population's opinion about this new policy and to assess factors associated with a positive opinion during this changing phase. ⋯ Factors associated with a positive opinion about the extension of mandatory vaccines were components of the confidence, complacency and convenience dimensions of the '3Cs' model. ConclusionsIn our sample, two thirds of the French population was in favour of the extension of mandatory vaccines for children. Perception of vaccine safety and benefits were major predictors for positive and negative opinions about this new policy.