Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Tick-Borne Human Diseases and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Vaccine among Farmers from North-Eastern Italy (2017)

Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices (KAP) of Italian Occupational Physicians towards Tick Borne Encephalitis

“…Moreover, international reports hint towards diffuse false beliefs on immunization practice among such healthcare professionals [ 21 ]. Interestingly, while some previous reports have inquired KAP of medical professionals on other tick-borne disorders (e.g., Lyme disease) [ 29 , 30 , 31 ], there is a significant lack of evidence on OP and their understanding of TBE [ 7 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 32 ]. Some studies that have examined acceptance of preventive measures in endemic areas found uneven or low use of risk-reducing measures, suggesting that people at risk either ignore or underestimate the health threat from TBE, being unaware of risks and protective measures, or do not understand that the adoption of protective measures is worth their time [ 14 , 15 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ].…”

“…First, not only overall acceptance [ 20 ], but also national vaccination rates for TBE among high-risk workers remain quite low [ 2 , 7 , 9 , 12 , 14 ], even though serological studies have pointed out that infections do occur, also in Italian regions not usually associated with TBE [ 7 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 ]. Interestingly, in some previous studies, the most commonly reported reason for not being vaccinated against TBE was the unawareness that a vaccine exists [ 20 ], despite a quite good interaction with healthcare providers such as the general practitioner and the occupational physician [ 14 , 31 ].…”

“…First, not only overall acceptance [ 20 ], but also national vaccination rates for TBE among high-risk workers remain quite low [ 2 , 7 , 9 , 12 , 14 ], even though serological studies have pointed out that infections do occur, also in Italian regions not usually associated with TBE [ 7 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 ]. Interestingly, in some previous studies, the most commonly reported reason for not being vaccinated against TBE was the unawareness that a vaccine exists [ 20 ], despite a quite good interaction with healthcare providers such as the general practitioner and the occupational physician [ 14 , 31 ]. In other words, while our results seemingly confirm the earlier suspect that healthcare professionals (particularly occupational physicians) are not actively promoting TBE immunization in high–risk workers groups, since these professionals show a diffuse neglect of such prevention strategy, vaccination rates may be significantly improved by enriching their knowledge about TBEV and TBE vaccine [ 7 , 14 , 20 , 31 ].…”

“…As a consequence, TBE has become a significant health threat for outdoor workers in North Eastern Italy [ 6 , 7 , 14 , 15 , 16 ], and the Italian Ministry of Health has recommended TBE vaccination for forestry workers, farmers, and veterinarians from endemic areas [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 , 12 ]. Even though official data on TBE vaccination rates in Italy are lacking, some reports hint towards figures ranging between 10% and 40%, even in high-risk groups from highly endemic areas [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 12 ].…”

“…Moreover, occupational physicians (OP) should actively inform workers about occupational risk factors, including vectors and microorganisms. As prevention of TBE may also benefit from several environmental (e.g., pesticide treatment of the working environment) and behavioral (e.g., promoting self-assessment for tick bites at the end of outdoor activities) interventions, the assessment of knowledge (i.e., the awareness of official recommendations), attitudes (i.e., propensity towards a certain intervention), and practices (i.e., actual application of such intervention)—or knowledge, attitudes, practices (KAP)—of occupational physicians towards TBE and TBE vaccine, they can be useful in order to improve the health and safety of high-risk outdoor workers [ 10 , 14 , 22 ].…”