A Socio-Demographic Examination of Adults Responding to Governmental Vaccination Recommendations during the Japanese XXXX Outbreak of 2013.

@entity1 @entity2462 @entity2798
BACKGROUND: In 2013 a @entity2462 outbreak occurred among Japanese @entity1 of working-age which resulted in 14,357 reported cases. The Japanese government subsequently recommended @entity2798 or @entity2462 antibody testing for young @entity1 (15-49 years of age) who were planning to conceive and for adult @entity1 , @entity1 , and other @entity1 in potential contact with pregnant @entity1 at home. However, the expense and time involved for vaccination, antibody testing and visiting a clinic may represent a major barrier to voluntary compliance among this busy demographic. The aim of the current study was, therefore, to examine potential relationships between the social background of Japanese working-age individuals affected by the 2013 @entity2798 campaign. METHODS: A web-based survey of 1,889 Japanese @entity1 and @entity1 aged 20-49 years was conducted in early 2014. Statistical analyses were used to explore the associations between social background and testing for @entity2462 antibody and / or vaccination uptake during the previous year. RESULTS: Twenty-four percent of respondents who were planning a pregnancy had been tested for @entity2462 antibody or vaccinated in 2013. However, among those without a current desire for pregnancy, 3% of @entity1 and 7% of @entity1 , respectively, were tested or vaccinated. Regardless of whether they were planning to conceive, testing for @entity2462 antibodies or vaccination was statistically associated with having acquaintances who had been vaccinated, understanding the government recommendations, and being able to confirm their lack of @entity2462 vaccination history using Maternal and @entity1 Health Handbook records in both @entity1 and @entity1 . CONCLUSION: To help eliminate @entity2462 in Japan, additional initiatives need to target Japanese individuals who cannot envisage a direct benefit from vaccination. The results of this study suggest that disseminating the government recommendation to all potentially affected subpopulations, along with maintaining life-time vaccination records might offer a solution to encourage vaccination uptake among working-age adults in Japan, as elsewhere.
