Vaccination in newly arrived immigrants to the European Union

Prymula, Roman; Shaw, Jana; Chlíbek, Roman; Urbancikova, Ingrid; Prymulova, Karolina

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.05.079

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Migrants in Europe may be an under-immunised group which could be on account of disruption of health systems or receipt of insufficient vaccine dosage in their countries of origin, limited access to catch-up vaccination services in host countries and vaccine hesitancy (2)(3)(6)(7)(8). The problem is compounded by the absence of reliable immunisation records for many migrant groups, making decisions regarding catch-up vaccination difficult.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of vaccine preventable diseases in UK migrants: a serosurvey and concordance analysis, 2020

Gogoi

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We conducted a serosurvey in 2020, amongst 149 adult migrants living in the United Kingdom, to determine seroprotection rates for measles, varicella zoster, and rubella. Findings suggest a gap in seroprotection against measles (89.3%). Younger migrants and those from Europe and Central Asia may be more susceptible; self-reported vaccine/disease status is a poor predictor of seroprotection. Understanding factors associated with seroprotection among migrants is critical for informing the delivery of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of vaccine preventable diseases in UK migrants: a serosurvey and concordance analysis, 2020

Gogoi

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Low levels of immunisation for the other routine vaccines are likewise a worry; staying too long in rural areas, in close proximity to the local population, in suboptimal hygienic conditions, exposes travellers to diseases from which the population should be protected [2, 3]. In this regard, one of the most relevant challenges in the health care of migrants is represented by the difficulty of obtaining clear information on their immunisation status because of partial or no data regarding previous exposures or vaccinations [15]. This aspect, indeed, forms part of the wider problems of inequalities in access to health services in the countries where migrants live, likely due to sociocultural, economic (costs) and language barriers [16–18].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-travel health care attendance among migrant travellers visiting friends and relatives (VFR): a 10-year retrospective analysis

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundTravellers visiting friends and relatives (VFR) define a specific population of travellers exposed to higher risks for health and safety than tourists. The aim of this study was to assess differentials in pre-travel health care in VFR travellers compared to other travellers.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was performed including attendees of the Travel Medicine Clinic of the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain, between January 2007 and December 2017.ResultsOver the 10-year period, 47,022 subjects presented to the travel clinic for pre-travel health care, 13.7% of whom were VFR travellers. These showed higher rates of vaccination against yellow fever and meningococcus, but lower rates for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, rabies, cholera, polio, typhoid IM vaccine and tetanus vaccine boosters. Regarding malaria prevention measures, results highlighted that VFR travellers, when compared with tourists, were more likely to be prescribed with chemoprophylaxis, particularly with mefloquine, than with atovaquone/proguanil.ConclusionsFindings from this large-scale study indicated differences in vaccination rates and completion, as well as in chemoprophylaxis for malaria, between VFR and non-VFR travellers, fostering specific interventions for promoting adherence to pre-travel health advice among migrant travellers.

show abstract

“…This concurs with our results pertaining to migrants, where vaccination for MMR and polio in migrant children is reported in all included countries and vaccination of adults only in half of the EU/EEA countries; this is despite the fact that some migrants originate from countries where health systems may have broken down resulting in immunisations being missed [ 25 , 26 ]. The Canadian guidelines, based on a systematic review of available evidence, recommend that MMR, DTP, polio, varicella and hepatitis B vaccines should be given to children and adult migrants [ 27 ], whereas our survey highlights that in more than half of EU/EEA countries these would not routinely be offered to adults and thus this represents an area requiring policy development [ 10 ]. Measles vaccine should be considered in both children and adult migrants in light of the fact that there have been outbreaks of measles in the EU that have been linked to migrant populations specifically, and there is a drive to eliminate measles in the European region [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Syrian and Afghan migrants, dominant migrant groups to the EU in recent years [ 8 ], have relatively low vaccine coverage rates. For example, immunisation coverage in Syria is around 40% for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) and 50% for polio [ 9 , 10 ]. Greece recently reported vaccination status as ‘unknown’ in 79.3% of Syrian children during an outbreak of hepatitis A in migrant camps [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergent approaches in the vaccination of recently arrived migrants to Europe: a survey of national experts from 32 countries, 2017

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundMigrants within the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) may be underimmunised and lack documentation on previous vaccinations. We investigated approaches to vaccination in recently arrived adult and child migrants, and guideline availability and implementation. Methods: Between March and May 2017, a national vaccination expert from every EU/EEA country and Switzerland completed an electronic questionnaire. We used descriptive analyses to calculate percentages, and framework analysis to synthesise free-text responses. Results: We approached 32 countries (response rate 100%). Although 28 experts reported vaccination guidance at national level, specific guidelines for recently arrived migrants were only available in six countries and not consistently implemented. Twenty-three countries administered vaccinations during on-arrival health checks. Most experts recommended multiple vaccination opportunities be made available: at point of entry (n = 13) or at holding level (reception centres, migrant camps, detention centres) (n = 21). In 30 countries, child migrants without evidence of previous vaccination were re-vaccinated according to the national schedule. Diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus and polio vaccinations were given to migrant children in all countries, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) in 31 countries, hepatitis B vaccination in 25. Low levels of catch-up vaccination were reported in adult migrants, with only 13 countries offering MMR and 10 countries charging fees. Conclusion: Existing guidance is often not migrant-specific and may not be applied in practice; clarification is needed on which vaccines should be given. Strategies are needed specifically for catch-up vaccination in adult migrants. Vaccinations should be offered in multiple settings, free of charge, with sufficient guidance and training provided to front-line healthcare professionals.

show abstract

Vaccination in newly arrived immigrants to the European Union

Cited by 10 publications

References 29 publications

Risk of vaccine preventable diseases in UK migrants: a serosurvey and concordance analysis, 2020

Risk of vaccine preventable diseases in UK migrants: a serosurvey and concordance analysis, 2020

Pre-travel health care attendance among migrant travellers visiting friends and relatives (VFR): a 10-year retrospective analysis

Divergent approaches in the vaccination of recently arrived migrants to Europe: a survey of national experts from 32 countries, 2017

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About