tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Vaccine
. 2026 Jul 2:88:128839.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2026.128839. Online ahead of print.
Vaccination policies for healthcare personnel in Europe, 2026
Helena C Maltezou[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michael Borg[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elisabeth Botelho-Nevers[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Arne B Brantsæter[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Saulius Caplinskas[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Liudmyla Chernyshova[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Olga Cirstea[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Rok Civljak[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Klara Dokova[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Oana Falup-Pecurariu[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Irina Filippova[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Filipe Froes[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Marta Grgič Vitek[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Ulrich Heininger[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Judith M Hübschen[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Kamilla S Josefsdottir[SUP] 16 [/SUP], George Kassianos[SUP] 17 [/SUP], Maria Koliou[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Jan Kyncl[SUP] 19 [/SUP], Fedir Lapii[SUP] 20 [/SUP], Per Ljungman[SUP] 21 [/SUP], Snežana Medić[SUP] 22 [/SUP], Zsuzsanna Molnar[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Aneta Nitsch-Osuch[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Hanna Nohynek[SUP] 25 [/SUP], Raul Ortiz de Lejarazu[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Barbara Rath[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Silvio Tafuri[SUP] 28 [/SUP], Liam Townsend[SUP] 29 [/SUP], Romana Ulbrichtová[SUP] 30 [/SUP], Pierre Van Damme[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Gerrit A van Essen[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Marie-Louise von Linstow[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Ursula Wiedermann[SUP] 34 [/SUP], Dace Zavadska[SUP] 35 [/SUP], Gregory A Poland[SUP] 36 [/SUP]
Affiliations
We studied current vaccination policies for health-care personnel (HCP) in 34 European countries. All (34) countries have vaccination policies for hepatitis B, 33 countries for influenza, and 22 countries for COVID-19. Vaccination policies for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella exist in 28, 23, 24, and 26 countries, respectively, and for tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, and poliomyelitis in 21, 23, 23, and 15 countries, respectively. Vaccination policies for hepatitis A exist in 20 countries, and for tuberculosis (BCG vaccine), pneumococcus, herpes zoster, and human papillomavirus in 6, 6, 2, and 1 country, respectively. Lastly, 16 countries have vaccination policies for meningococcus B, 4 for meningococcus C, and 19 for meningococci ACWY (quadrivalent vaccine). Sixteen countries mandate particular vaccinations for HCP (mainly against hepatitis B and measles), including nine as a prerequisite for employment. Comparing the current vaccination policies with those we reported in 2018, we found that on several occasions vaccination programs improved and include an average of four more vaccinations. However, in several countries there are gaps in vaccination policies, particularly against measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and pertussis. Currently, most countries have vaccination recommendations for healthcare students before entering healthcare facilities. In conclusion, European countries have more comprehensive vaccination policies for HCP compared with 2018, however there are still significant differences between countries, in terms of the number of vaccinations, target personnel, and implementation frame (recommended or mandatory vaccinations). Given the resurgence of multiple vaccine-preventable diseases in recent years, evidence-based and harmonized vaccination policies for HCP in Europe are needed to protect HCP and patients and to enhance safety in healthcare facilities.
Keywords: Europe; Healthcare personnel; Healthcare workers; Immunization; Policies; Vaccination.
. 2026 Jul 2:88:128839.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2026.128839. Online ahead of print.
Vaccination policies for healthcare personnel in Europe, 2026
Helena C Maltezou[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michael Borg[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elisabeth Botelho-Nevers[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Arne B Brantsæter[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Saulius Caplinskas[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Liudmyla Chernyshova[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Olga Cirstea[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Rok Civljak[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Klara Dokova[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Oana Falup-Pecurariu[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Irina Filippova[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Filipe Froes[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Marta Grgič Vitek[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Ulrich Heininger[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Judith M Hübschen[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Kamilla S Josefsdottir[SUP] 16 [/SUP], George Kassianos[SUP] 17 [/SUP], Maria Koliou[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Jan Kyncl[SUP] 19 [/SUP], Fedir Lapii[SUP] 20 [/SUP], Per Ljungman[SUP] 21 [/SUP], Snežana Medić[SUP] 22 [/SUP], Zsuzsanna Molnar[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Aneta Nitsch-Osuch[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Hanna Nohynek[SUP] 25 [/SUP], Raul Ortiz de Lejarazu[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Barbara Rath[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Silvio Tafuri[SUP] 28 [/SUP], Liam Townsend[SUP] 29 [/SUP], Romana Ulbrichtová[SUP] 30 [/SUP], Pierre Van Damme[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Gerrit A van Essen[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Marie-Louise von Linstow[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Ursula Wiedermann[SUP] 34 [/SUP], Dace Zavadska[SUP] 35 [/SUP], Gregory A Poland[SUP] 36 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 42392011
- DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2026.128839
We studied current vaccination policies for health-care personnel (HCP) in 34 European countries. All (34) countries have vaccination policies for hepatitis B, 33 countries for influenza, and 22 countries for COVID-19. Vaccination policies for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella exist in 28, 23, 24, and 26 countries, respectively, and for tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, and poliomyelitis in 21, 23, 23, and 15 countries, respectively. Vaccination policies for hepatitis A exist in 20 countries, and for tuberculosis (BCG vaccine), pneumococcus, herpes zoster, and human papillomavirus in 6, 6, 2, and 1 country, respectively. Lastly, 16 countries have vaccination policies for meningococcus B, 4 for meningococcus C, and 19 for meningococci ACWY (quadrivalent vaccine). Sixteen countries mandate particular vaccinations for HCP (mainly against hepatitis B and measles), including nine as a prerequisite for employment. Comparing the current vaccination policies with those we reported in 2018, we found that on several occasions vaccination programs improved and include an average of four more vaccinations. However, in several countries there are gaps in vaccination policies, particularly against measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and pertussis. Currently, most countries have vaccination recommendations for healthcare students before entering healthcare facilities. In conclusion, European countries have more comprehensive vaccination policies for HCP compared with 2018, however there are still significant differences between countries, in terms of the number of vaccinations, target personnel, and implementation frame (recommended or mandatory vaccinations). Given the resurgence of multiple vaccine-preventable diseases in recent years, evidence-based and harmonized vaccination policies for HCP in Europe are needed to protect HCP and patients and to enhance safety in healthcare facilities.
Keywords: Europe; Healthcare personnel; Healthcare workers; Immunization; Policies; Vaccination.