Hungary unaffected by trending anti-vaxx movement

In Hungary, some 77% of the population think that vaccines are safe, according to the findings of a report entitled the Wellcome Global Monitor 2018. The rate is well above the European average, which stands at near 70-71%. In Hungary, the lowest rate of trust was registered among those aged 15-29, while the highest rate of trust was registered in respondents in the 30-49 age group.

Interestingly, neighboring Ukraine has one of the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy, with only 29% of people trusting vaccines.

Globally, 79% of people think that vaccines are safe, with the highest rates registered in South Asia and East Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten global health threats of 2019, according to the WHOʼs own website.

"Vaccine hesitancy – the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines – threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases," says the WHO. "Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease – it currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved."

The WHO says that the reasons why people choose not to vaccinate are complex, adding that a vaccines advisory group to the WHO identified complacency, inconvenience in accessing vaccines, and lack of confidence as key reasons underlying hesitancy.