Childhood vaccination in the 21st century : vaccine hesitancy and immunization rates

Abstract

The main focus of this review is to analyse global vaccination in children in the 21st Century, which type of vaccines are available, their benefits and reasons by parents that could lead to vaccine-hesitancy. There are different ways that vaccines work including live attenuated, inactivated, toxoid vaccines, viral vectors and mRNA vaccines. People’s willingness to receive recommended, safe, good quality, and effective vaccines has been challenged for the last few decades. Vaccine hesitancy arises in parents due to fears based on myths. Mainly they fear side effects and mandatory vaccine policies. The available vaccines that are present on the market according to WHO include Diphtheria, Hepatitis, Heamophilus influenzae type B (Hib), Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Measles, Meningococcal meningitis, Mumps, Pertussis, Pneumococcal disease, Poliomyelitis (Polio), Rotavirus, Rubella, Tetanus, Tuberculosis, and Varicella, COVID and seasonal influenza vaccine. Resulting from their beneficial effects, WHO data shows that, in 2021 and 2022, there was a 12% rise in vaccination rates. However, myths continue to worry parents including potential allergens, toxicity, autism related to the Mumps Measles, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, cases of Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), and safety of combined vaccines. These misconceptions are reviewed in detail in this work.