ArticlePublic health in practice (Oxford, England)2026
Universal varicella vaccination programmes in European countries and their effect: A systematic review.
Article in Public health in practice (Oxford, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Herpes zoster burden in a private healthcare setting of Argentina.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives: Varicella zoster virus causes primary varicella and herpes zoster (HZ). Decisions to include Universal Varicella Vaccination (UVV) in routine childhood immunisation schedules in European countries have varied significantly. A systematic review was conducted to assess UVV implementation in European countries and its effects. Study design: Systematic review. Methods: A search identified relevant literature published from 2010 to 2025, in all languages. Three databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE) were searched in March 2025 for empiric studies reporting real-world data on varicella and HZ epidemiology in European countries which have adopted UVV. Modelling studies and non-primary studies were excluded. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess quality of included studies. Quantitative outcomes were analysed through meta-analyses, while qualitatively expressed outcomes were synthesised narratively. The systematic review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (Ref:CRD420250650902). Results: Forty-one of 437 identified studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising descriptive studies (34), non-randomised studies (6) and mixed methods studies (1) from 5 of 16 European countries with UVV. Vaccination regimes have varied across countries, differing in dosing schedules and use of monovalent or tetravalent vaccines. Reductions in varicella incidence (Incidence Rate Ratio 0.46, 95 % CI 0.39-0.54) and hospitalisation (IRR 0.6, 95 % CI 0.53-0.69) have been observed. To date, no conclusive increase in incidence among older age groups or in the burden of herpes zoster has been identified. Physician recommendation remains the strongest factor influencing uptake. Conclusions: Introduction of UVV in European countries has coincided with reduction in varicella incidence and hospitalisations related to varicella. Heterogeneity was high among studies, and 17/41 met all methodological criteria required by the MMAT. Surveillance of varicella and HZ varies across Europe, challenging attempts to compare strategies. Physicians in countries adopting UVV should be supported to encourage uptake and ensure adequate coverage.
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