1,721,503 research outputs found
Mandatory vaccination for infants and children: the Italian experience
No full textMaintaining high vaccination coverage is important in order to protect the individual and the community. Mandatory vaccination is an option in case of declining coverage. Widely used in the USA, it is considered a rather controversial issue in Europe. In Italy, after a decrease of vaccination coverage for the hexavalent and the MPR vaccine under the optimal threshold, a new law, which extended the number of mandatory vaccines from 4 to 10 and reinforced coercive measures, was introduced in July 2017. After 2 years, vaccination coverage increased for all mandatory vaccines and for the other two recommended vaccines (anti-pneumococcal and anti-meningococcal C). Although it is not possible to disentangle the role of other factors contributing to the positive outcome, consistently with the results of studies conducted in the USA, vaccine mandates appeared to be successful in increasing vaccination coverage in Italy. The long-term sustainability of the effect of mandatory vaccination and the potential negative drawbacks of the coercive measures need to be evaluated to generate scientific evidence in public health
Prefazione COVID-19: studi e riflessioni dell’epidemiologia italiana nel primo semestre della pandemia
No full textSwine-origin influenza virus A(H1N1)v: lessons learnt from the early phase of the epidemic
No full textChikungunya Fever
No full textChikungunya fever is an emerging mosquito-borne disease which is expanding its geographical area of activity. Although commonly transmitted by the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in tropical areas, viral strains with a single mutation showed adaptation to Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which are widespread in several temperate areas of the world, leading to outbreaks in previously naive areas. Although considered a self-limiting disease, studies conducted in countries affected by recent epidemics have identified unusual severe clinical presentations of this viral infection. Preparedness and mosquito control activities are important in countries where either Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus have been detected in order to reduce the risk of introduction of the Chikungunya fever virus and/or to reduce its impact in areas where it is already circulating
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