European Healthcare Personnel Vaccination Policies More Comprehensive Since 2018, Yet Gaps Remain
Background
Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) pose a substantial risk to both healthcare personnel (HCP) and vulnerable patients within healthcare settings. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, outbreaks of diseases like measles and pertussis continue to occur, highlighting persistent vulnerabilities. Current standard-of-care often involves national-level recommendations, but a lack of harmonized, evidence-based policies across Europe can lead to inconsistent protection levels, leaving both HCP and patients exposed to preventable infections. This study addresses the need to understand the current landscape of these policies and identify areas for improvement.
Study Design
Researchers conducted a comprehensive survey of current vaccination policies for healthcare personnel (HCP) across 34 European countries. The study systematically collected data on mandatory and recommended vaccinations for various pathogens, including hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, and measles, mumps, rubella (MMR). Policies were compared against a previous report from 2018 to identify trends and improvements. The primary endpoint was to assess the comprehensiveness and implementation frame (recommended vs. mandatory) of HCP vaccination policies.
Results
All 34 countries surveyed reported having vaccination policies for hepatitis B, with 33 countries covering influenza, and 22 countries addressing COVID-19. Policies for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella were present in 28, 23, 24, and 26 countries, respectively. Compared to 2018, vaccination programs have improved, including an average of four more vaccinations per country. Sixteen countries currently mandate particular vaccinations for HCP, predominantly against hepatitis B and measles, with nine of these mandating them as a prerequisite for employment. Additionally, 20 countries have policies for hepatitis A, while policies for tuberculosis (BCG vaccine), pneumococcus, herpes zoster, and human papillomavirus are less common, found in 6, 6, 2, and 1 country, respectively.
Despite overall improvements, significant gaps in vaccination policies persist in several countries, particularly against measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and pertussis.
Why It Matters
This research underscores that harmonized, evidence-based vaccination policies are critically needed across Europe to bolster protection for both healthcare personnel and patients. The identified gaps, particularly for highly transmissible diseases like measles and pertussis, highlight areas where national policies must be strengthened and standardized. For clinicians and public health officials, this means re-evaluating existing guidelines and considering mandatory vaccination for key pathogens to enhance safety in healthcare facilities. The findings provide a clear roadmap for policy makers to develop more robust and consistent vaccination strategies, reducing the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks and improving overall public health resilience.