The Salzburg Statement on Vaccination Acceptance

"We intend to keep up a steady drumbeat of accurate vaccine communications until the traditional public consensus in support of childhood immunization is restored." - Dr. Scott Ratzan

In response to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration in 2019 that vaccine hesitancy is a top-ten international public health problem, many have articulated the need for more creative multi-sectoral, science-based approaches to vaccine communications. One such group is the International Working Group on Vaccination and Public Health Solutions (IWG), which includes independent leaders in public health, law, and medicine who are concerned by the growing threat of hesitancy of parents to vaccinate their children against preventable infectious diseases. IWG has developed this statement at the invitation of Salzburg Global Seminars, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that brings together leaders in a number of fields to develop new strategies and ideas that address a wide range of societal issues, including health care.

"The intent of this Statement is to improve childhood vaccine coverage through expanded public dialogue that will enable individuals, communities and government leaders to better understand the role of vaccines, make more informed choices about their use, and sustain investment in expanded access to these vaccines globally." It opens with information designed to explain vaccinations to parents or caregivers, answer their questions, address their concerns, and maintain public confidence in the protection childhood vaccines provide. It goes on to lay out recommendations to combat the global fall in vaccination rates fuelled by the worldwide "anti-vax" movement, including:

For major search engines and social media organisations:

• "Develop principles that distinguish 'levels of evidence' in the vaccine information they provide so that they can improve identification of disproven/inaccurate false claims about vaccine safety...
• Include information from robust scientific sources..."

For governments, policymakers, advocacy groups, educators, and philanthropists:

• "Support laws that mandate childhood vaccination, when they are likely to improve the public's health, and to support more systematic qualitative and quantitative research on behavioral and social determinants of vaccination integrated with long-term, evidence-based communication programs that will build vaccine literacy in support of these laws.
• Widely disseminate reliable, accurate vaccine information in plain language through mass and social media, and delivered by trusted sources at all levels of society, including celebrities, faith-based leaders and parents.
• Promote 'community protection' in public health law and communications to reinforce the equivalence of vaccination with other essential public services...and restore broad societal trust in vaccination as a foundation of public health progress."

For health professionals and educators:

• "Join forces to correct misleading information on social media and in community settings.
• Counsel parents and children and reassure them about vaccine safety.
• Commit to listening to and understanding the barriers and concerns of parents so that vaccinations and health services can be more health literate, accessible and user-friendly."

For parents: "Seek information about vaccines from sources that have documented scientific and medical expertise, without agendas based on misinformation and unproven alternatives."

The statement, which pledges to "support the development of new, effective and fact-based communications programs" to help parents, community, and government leaders make appropriate decisions on childhood immunisation, has to date been endorsed by more than 60 public health leaders from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.