Zens et al.
A cross-sectional study evaluating tick-borne encephalitis vaccine uptake and timeliness among adults in Switzerland
PLoS ONE. 2021, 16(12): e0247216. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247216
A national, cross-sectional study (based on obtaining vaccination records by mail) has been carried out to evaluate timeliness of TBE vaccination in Switzerland. Of 4,626 participants, 1875 individuals had at least one TBE vaccination. Mean age of first vaccination was 37. Of those having received a first injection, 96% of individuals received a second dose, and 82% of these individuals also received a third dose.
Among those vaccinees receiving three doses, 29% received Encepur (based on strain K239), 59% received FSME Immun (based on strain Neudörfl) and 12% received a combination of these vaccines. Only 5% of the individuals were vaccinated by a rapid vaccination scheme. Most individuals received the conventional scheme of whom 88% received the second dose on time and 78% received the third dose on time. Of those receiving Encepur, 21% received the third dose too early according to the package leaflet (only 6% of those vaccinated with FSME Immun).
31% of those with a complete primary vaccination received one or more booster dose(s). The median time for the first booster was 7.3 years and for the second booster was 4.0 years after the first booster dose.
About 25% of adults received their first vaccination aged 50+, and 20% of Swiss adults beginning with the primary vaccination course only received a first dose. However, in general the vaccination coverage among adults was higher compared to many other European countries (e.g., Germany, see Snapshot week 1/2022, Snapshot week 3/2021).