Vaccines save lives, but trust delivers them

In the small town of Onești, Romania, Dr. Anca Băncescu walks down the street and her pace is steady, as she has a busy day ahead, but she never rushes. She knows she’ll be stopped along the way—by a mother asking if her child’s fever is normal, by a grandmother thanking her for a house visit, or by a group of children playing outside their apartment building who are waving and calling her name. 

She smiles, waves back, and keeps going. She has patients waiting, vaccinations to administer, and house calls to make. But she does not underestimate these daily interactions, these simple moments of connection with her neighbours, friends and patients, because they are what make her work so much more than a job. The people in her community don’t just see Dr. Băncescu as a healthcare worker. To them, she is a trusted neighbour, a caring mother, a familiar face, the person their family turns to when they need support.  

Dr. Băncescu has been practicing medicine in this community for over two decades, splitting her time between emergency medicine and her role as a family doctor.  “As a family doctor, you don’t just see your patients in a clinic. You visit homes, sit at kitchen tables, you get to know people and listen to their stories - and not just stories about their health, but also life stories, and that changes you in time,” she says. And sometimes, what people need most isn’t just medical advice or treatment. It’s reassurance. It’s someone they can trust. 

That trust is especially important when it comes to vaccinations for children, perhaps even more so in these times when misinformation can spread faster than facts. For many parents, the decision to vaccinate their child is based on the confidence in the person giving them advice, and not just on scientific facts and statistics. This is why reaching communities and taking the time to explain the benefits of vaccination to parents and children can make a world of difference. “I personally drive, along with my nurse colleagues, to locations where we know there are children. We explain the benefits of the vaccine to the parents, enter their homes, play with the children, show them what might happen, how the medical act is performed, and ask them to come to the medical office,” Dr. Băncescu explains. 

“Vaccines are meant to combat and eradicate diseases that can cost children's lives—polio, diphtheria, tetanus. Vaccines can only do good. Without these vaccines, diseases that were once eradicated will reemerge. Parents need to understand that not vaccinating on time can even cost their child's life,” Dr. Băncescu explains passionately. She knows that trust in her words isn’t built overnight. It’s built in small moments when honesty, personal connection and care are the ingredients that can convince undecided or skeptical parents. It’s why so many parents in Onești ultimately decide to vaccinate their children. Not because of a public health campaign or statistics read from a flyer in the clinic waiting room, but because of the doctor their family has trusted for years. 

Across Europe, vaccine-preventable diseases are making a dangerous comeback. According to UNICEF and WHO, measles cases in the European region doubled in 2024, reaching 127,350 cases, which is the highest number since 1997. Children under five account for more than 40% of reported cases, and over half of those infected required hospitalization. Tragically, 38 measles-related deaths were recorded last year. 

The number of measles cases had been steadily declining since the late 1990s, reaching a historic low of 4,440 cases in 2016. However, following a sharp drop in immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases have once again surged up. Misinformation about immunization and vaccines during the pandemic also eroded trust: the perception of vaccine importance for children declined by 10 percent in Romania after the start of the pandemic. 

In 2024, Romania reported the highest number of measles cases, 30,692 cases, while the European Region as a whole accounted for nearly one-third of all measles cases worldwide. In 2023 alone, 500,000 children in Europe and Central Asia missed their first dose of the measles vaccine (MCV1), leaving them highly vulnerable to the disease. 

Despite the importance of immunization, coverage rates remain dangerously low in some parts of the region. In Romania, MCV1 coverage fell below 80% in 2023, which is far below the 95% threshold needed to maintain herd immunity and keep the population safe from this disease.  

Doctors like Dr. Băncescu are battling this serious crisis on all fronts: in hospitals and clinics, in living rooms, school hallways, and even through conversations with parents at the grocery store. Every day, they fight against misinformation with patience and compassion, ensuring that no child goes unprotected simply because their parents were afraid or misinformed. According to UNICEF, health professionals are the most trusted source of information when it comes to vaccination, yet they are often not included in coordinated vaccine advocacy efforts. With the right support, they could be an even bigger help in identifying vaccine-hesitant parents, providing evidence-based information coming from a trusted source and ensuring children are protected. 

“The best part of my job?,” Dr. Băncescu says, smiling. “It’s when a child leaves my office smiling, healthy, protected. And later, they come back just to say hello.” 

The fight for immunization is carried out through science, but also through trust, human connection, and community. Success is made possible by doctors, nurses, and hardworking healthcare workers who take the time to listen, to reassure, and ultimately to make vaccination a clear choice that feels safe and right for every parent and child.