Raquel Eusébio, a student at the NOVA National School of Public Health (NOVA NSPH), presented a scientific paper at the ESCAIDE congress (European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology), coordinated by André Peralta, on mpox vaccination and the factors that influence vaccine hesitancy, under the title ‘Mpox vaccination in health services that identify eligible people as a factor in reducing vaccine hesitancy’.
The study, carried out as part of the Specialization Course in Hospital Administration, analyzed the impact of the existence of vaccination points in places where people are identified as eligible for pre-exposure vaccination against mpox.
The research involved a retrospective cohort of 3062 individuals eligible for pre-exposure vaccination in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region. Comparing health services with and without vaccination points, the results showed that the median time between identification and vaccination was much shorter in services with a vaccination point and that the likelihood of vaccination was higher in services with a vaccination point.
The study highlights that locating vaccination points in services that identify eligible individuals substantially reduces vaccine hesitancy, optimizing efforts to control outbreaks. On the other hand, it promotes efficient resource management, ensuring greater vaccination coverage in the population at risk.
This evidence offers important recommendations for decision-makers and health managers, especially in the event of new outbreaks or the need for booster doses in the future.
Raquel Eusébio’s participation in ESCAIDE reinforces NOVA NSPH ‘s commitment to the production of applied science, geared towards improving health systems and responding to emerging challenges.
