Financial Times: Poorer countries have more confidence in vaccines
“Confidence in the safety and efficacy of vaccines is greater in poor than wealthy regions of the world, according to the largest survey ever undertaken of attitudes to science and health. In East Africa, 92 percent of respondents to a survey commissioned by the Wellcome charity agreed vaccines were safe, rising to 95 percent in South Asia. However, the figure falls to 59 percent in Western Europe and just 50 percent in Eastern Europe, reflecting doubts about vaccinations and a growing ‘anti-vax’ movement…” (Cookson, 6/18).

The Guardian: Survey shows crisis of confidence in vaccines in parts of Europe
“…The first Wellcome Global Monitor survey, which canvassed attitudes among 140,000 people worldwide, shows clear links between people’s trust in doctors, nurses, and scientists and their confidence in vaccines. It also shows that mistrust in government institutions goes hand in hand with doubts about vaccines’ safety…” (Boseley, 6/19).

The Telegraph: How France — home of the enlightenment — became the vaccine skeptic capital of the world
“People in France are more skeptical of vaccines and the benefits of science than in any other country in the world, according to a major new study on attitudes to science and health. … The survey found that a third of people in France do not believe that vaccines are safe, while 55 percent now see science and technology as a threat to their employment prospects rather than a wealth creator. The data helps to explain the 426 percent increase in measles infections in France last year, when nearly 3,000 cases were recorded…” (Newey/Samuel, 6/19).

Additional coverage of the Wellcome Global Monitor poll is available from Agence France-Presse, BBC News, Reuters, Science (2), and The Telegraph.