LSE Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science’s Post

Research by Catherine Decouttere, nico vandaele, Kim De Boeck, and Stany Banzimana published in Health Systems featuring in a recent expert consultation report for the World Health Organization and Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research on "Health policy and systems research for improving vaccine uptake in low- and middle-income countries" "𝘝𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩. 𝘠𝘦𝘵, 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥-𝘶𝘱 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 (𝘌𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘩, 2003; 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭., 2022). 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤, 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 (𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭., 2023; 𝘌𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭., 2024; 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭., 2014; 𝘖𝘻𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭., 2016). 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩" #healthsystems #operationsresearch #ORMS #vaccination Samir Chatterjee Kathy Kotiadis Ann Fruhling Carol McLaughlin Sophie R. Richard Goodman The OR Society Taylor & Francis Group NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Department for International Development (DFID)

🔔 HNN3.0 Social Campaign 🔔 Health Success Stories: The VAX-TRUST Project 👨⚕️ 👩⚕️ The Project VAX-TRUST aimed to study the vaccine hesitancy as a broad societal phenomenon, with the primary aim of improving the experience of healthcare professionals and patients in encountering the topic of vaccination and better equipping Healthcare professionals to meet with societal challenges related to expert knowledge, expertise, and evidence-based recommendations. 🏥 The project distributed the intervention tools to future healthcare professionals, to facilitate support to meet with vaccine hesitancy, and identified and communicated recommendations to Target Regions, the seven countries and European area based on the project activities. Read the full success story on HNN3.0 website:   https://lnkd.in/dvwCsVgm Tampere University #vaccinehesitancy #publichealth #Healthcareprofessionals #healthpolicy #sshintegration

[Importantly, all of this unfolds after 5 years of public health being through the wringer. And, in an already shifting landscape: general amnesia of vaccine-preventable diseases, loss of trust in institutions, and a changing information landscape fueled by social media. This has led to policies like the following: • Last month, 6 counties in Idaho outright banned the availability of Covid-19 vaccines. • Texas doesn’t allow public health departments to educate about Covid-19 vaccines. • Missouri has removed the ability for public health departments to report data to WHO (and thus, CDC).]

During the Salzburg Global #Health and #HealthCare Innovation program "Better Preparedness for the Next Pandemic: Developing Vaccine Access Models with Low- and Middle-Income Countries" Fellows sought to answer: “How can ‘infodemic’ – misinformation and vaccine hesitancy – be better managed, and what are the implications for procurement?” Follow the link to the Insights on Vaccine Access and Global Health Equity: https://ow.ly/nhbV50RjET6 #SGSHealth #SalzburgGlobal

Thanks to Alix Miauton and John Antonakis for yesterday's insightful seminar on "Public health issues, leadership and communication". 💉 In the era of COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy has emerged as a critical challenge—one that goes beyond the vocal minority of less than 10% who identify as "antivax." 🚨 In Switzerland, where only 70% of the population received two doses—a figure lower than many high-income countries—several factors contribute to this hesitation: - A preference for "natural immunity" over vaccines. - Perceived low personal risk of severe illness. - Shifting public health recommendations creating confusion. - Social media amplifying doubts and spreading misinformation. 🎯 Health care workers remain a cornerstone of trust, yet they often face vaccine-hesitant individuals. 💬 Effective communication is key: - Tailored messaging that resonates with different audiences. - Addressing uncertainty transparently without eroding confidence. - Using metaphors and storytelling to connect on an individual and societal level. Vaccine hesitancy teaches us the importance of communication strategies. The challenge is clear, but so is the opportunity: bridging the gap between scientific information and public understanding as well as perception through better dialogue.

Florida public health pseudoscience: Coming soon to the federal government? When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis first appointed Dr. Ladapo as Florida’s Surgeon-General and therefore the person in charge of the Florida Department of Health and the state’s entire public health apparatus, many of us were justifiably alarmed, an alarm that has been totally validated by his performance since his appointment. After all, Dr. Ladapo was a founding member of America’s Frontline Doctors, which made a name for itself in that horrible first summer of the pandemic by touting hydroxychloroquine as a miracle cure for COVID-19 and later turned to telehealth grift selling prescriptions for ivermectin to cure COVID-19, and a signatory of the Great Barrington Declaration, the document published by contrarian scientists brought together by a right-wing think tank to advocate a social Darwinist “let ‘er rip” approach to the pandemic with poorly defined “focused protection” for those most at risk for severe disease and death from the pandemic. Moreover, this “updated guidance” is far from the first time that Dr. Ladapo has tried to mislead using the usual denialist techniques of cherry picking evidence and even outright misrepresenting it. Last year, he was busted for altering a Florida Department of Health study for lying with statistics to make it look as though the vaccine was more dangerous than COVID-19 for men under 40. Earlier this year, consistent with its inclusion in this “guidance,” Dr. Ladapo was parroting McKernan’s bad sciencethat massively exaggerated the problem of DNA contamination of the vaccine. Given the recent developments in which Donald Trump has cozied up to RFK Jr. and (apparently) promised him a cabinet-level position in his administration, should he win in November, it’s very easy to foresee what will happen to medicine, public health, and science in general if Trump becomes President again. You need look no further than Florida, except that it could even be worse than Florida. After all, Dr. Ladapo isn’t the only doctor hostile to vaccines and public health science who would likely find a leadership position in a second Trump administration. There is ample reason to be afraid, very afraid.

New Report: "No health, no wealth: the cost-effectiveness and socioeconomic value of life course immunisation" The International Longevity Centre - UK (ILC) has unveiled a critical report emphasising the importance of immunisation throughout our lives. Key Insights: 🩺 Health Improvements: Lifelong immunisation reduces disease incidence, lowers hospitalisations and eases the healthcare burden. It keeps individuals active and engaged in their communities. 💸 Economic Benefits: Every $1 invested in adult immunisation can yield up to $19 in returns through increased productivity and reduced healthcare costs. Despite the clear benefits, uptake of routine vaccines like flu, pneumococcal and shingles remains low. The report concludes with an urgent call to action for policymakers, healthcare providers, and international organisations to prioritise immunisation across all age groups to enhance public health, foster economic stability, and prepare for the challenges posed by an ageing population. ♻️ If you found this valuable, please reshare to raise awareness. PS: What steps do you think can increase vaccine uptake among adults? #Immunisation #PublicHealth  #Vaccines #AdultImmunisation

⏳ Next week | 1 October | Join our #FoEDebate to explore how we can ensure healthy ageing for Europe's future! By 2050, nearly a third will be over 65, with fewer than two working-age individuals per older person. This aging trend will inevitably put pressure on healthcare systems as older adults become more vulnerable to diseases due to weakened immune systems. Vaccination is a cost-effective public health measure, benefiting individuals, healthcare and society. Incentivising adult immunisation in the EU would therefore greatly contribute to the healthy ageing of older adults. However, ensuring healthy ageing requires strong policies at both EU and national levels to promote adult vaccination. We are delighted to welcome esteemed speakers, including: 🔸 Vytenis Andriukaitis, Member of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Public Health and former European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety 🔸 Susie Barnes, Senior Vice President for Global Medical Affairs and Vaccines at GSK 🔸 Peggy Maguire, Director General at the European Institute of Women's Health, CLG 🔸 Pierre Van Damme, Director of Vaccinopolis and Head of the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination at the University of Antwerp ➡️ Learn more about the event here: https://encr.pw/G5DZT #HealthyAgeing #EU4Health #OneHealth #AdultImmunisation

As our understanding of public health evolves, it's evident that ensuring #vaccine safety is an ongoing process, not just a milestone achieved at approval. Postauthorization research plays a critical role in identifying and addressing adverse events that may not emerge during clinical trials. However, the current funding landscape for these essential studies is limited, underscoring the need for sustained and dedicated resources. For more insights, read the article published by colleagues in The New England Journal of Medicine: ⬇ https://lnkd.in/gf6DUNRc