Meningitis B vaccination: knowledge and attitudes of pediatricians and parents in Greece

Abstract

Bexsero®, a meningitis B vaccine, was recently included in the National Immunization Programme (NIP) in Greece, with restricted access to high risk groups only. To map the need to expand coverage, this study assessed pediatricians and parents' perceptions and attitudes towards meningitis B, inclusion of Bexsero® in the NIP and vaccination uptake.We analyzed data from 201 private practice pediatricians questionnaires and 1003 parents phone interviews. Both (pediatricians 64.7%, parents 88.5%) considered meningitis B a critical challenge. 77.6% of pediatricians would prioritize meningitis B vaccination in the NIP and 90.3% would recommend Bexsero® to parents. Of those who would not, 47% feared civil liability challenges and 11.8% hesitated to impose vaccine cost on parents. Only 28.9% of parents had their child vaccinated. Non-reimbursement constituted a major access hurdle. It is critical to expand immunization coverage in Greece through expanded access in the NIP, in line with pediatrician recommendations.

Translating meningococcal serogroup B vaccines for healthcare professionals

“…In the United States, studies have indicated that healthcare providers are not frequent prescribers of MenB vaccines, potentially because of a general lack of knowledge of serogroup B disease and the available vaccines as well as an inability to define official vaccination guidelines [30,31]. In Greece, where MenB vaccination is not included in the national immunization plan, pediatricians may hesitate to recommend vaccination to parents owing to high out-of-pocket costs [169]. In Spain, despite the availability of the MenB vaccine through the private market, the low national healthcare budget dedicated to vaccines may preclude the inclusion of the MenB vaccine into a publicly funded program [170].…”