ABSTRACT

A survey was conducted at a private general hospital, exploring the reasons why children with measles had missed opportunities for vaccination during the local measles epidemics that occurred in Japan between 1999 and 2003. The answers from parents/guardians of confirmed measles patients (n = 120) indicated the following: more than half of the parents/guardians were too busy or forgot to have their children immunized and 32% refrained from immunization due to anti-vaccine views. Healthcare workers should consider that parents/guardians who are willing to immunize their children may miss opportunities to do so because they are busy, and not because of anti-vaccine attitudes. Healthcare workers should keep in mind that it is important to provide honest information on the potential risks and benefits of the vaccine, while informing parents/guardians of the vaccination schedule.