Zacharias et al.
What makes patients tick? Vaccine preferences against tick-borne encephalitis in four European countries.
BMC Infect. Dis. 2024, 24:1151. doi:10.1186/s12879-024-10045-4
What are the preferences and motivating factors for TBE vaccination among people living in or traveling to TBE-endemic areas in Europe? This was explored through an online survey conducted in four countries, with 1,379 participants from Germany (N=500), Sweden (N=300), Switzerland (N=301), and Austria (N=278). Overall, the baseline demographics were relatively similar across the different regions.
Seventy-three percent of participants were aware of TBE, and 60% reported having at least a moderate level of knowledge about vaccines in general.
The top reason for getting vaccinated against any disease was self-protection (79%). Other key reasons included protecting children or family members and following a doctor’s advice or recommendation.
The most important factors influencing the choice of a TBE vaccine were its effectiveness (85%) and the severity of side effects (72%), followed by the frequency of side effects (64%), cross-protection against TBE virus strains from other regions (62%), and the length of booster intervals (51%). In contrast, environmentally friendly packaging was considered less important (19%).
Most participants trusted their doctors when it came to vaccination decisions and relied heavily on their recommendations.
The vaccine dosing schedule was less of a concern, with no clear preference for rapid dosing schedules. A strong preference emerged for a 10-year booster interval over 3- or 5-year intervals, which may help explain the relatively low uptake of booster vaccinations in Europe.