Vaccination of healthcare personnel: time to rethink the current situation in Europe

Vaccination of healthcare personnel (HCP) is a key measure for their protection but mainly for the protection of the susceptible patients from healthcare-associated transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases. Studies indicate that there are significant immunity gaps as well as suboptimal vaccination uptake rates among HCP across Europe. Despite the fact that all European countries have vaccination policies for HCP, there are significant variations among them in terms of recommended vaccines and implementation frameworks (recommended or mandatory). In an environment of increasing vaccine hesitancy, Italy has one of the highest rates of skepticism related to safety and effectiveness of vaccines. It is also one of the first European countries to address this issue in a comprehensive way, implementing mandatory vaccination policies for several vaccinations included in the routine vaccination program, but also for HCPs as a requirement for employment.