IgG antibody prevalence suggests high immunization needs in newcomers to Luxembourg, 2012

Hübschen, Judith M.; Charpentier, Émilie; Weicherding, Pierre

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.12.041

Cited by 15 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In most European countries, vaccination policies for asylum seekers mainly focus on children [5]. However, several studies have shown low vaccination coverage among adult asylum seekers [12–14]. A Dutch study that included mostly asylum seekers from Syria, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan showed insufficient protection against specific preventable diseases.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asylum seekers’ perspectives on vaccination and screening policies after their arrival in Greece and The Netherlands

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionEurope has been dealing with an increasing number of refugees during the past 5 years. The timing of screening and vaccination of refugees is debated by many professionals, however refugees’ perspectives on health issues are infrequently taken into account. In this study, we aimed to investigate asylum seekers’ perspectives on infectious diseases screening and vaccination policies.Materials and methodsInterviews were conducted in Greece and the Netherlands. Asylum seekers and recently arrived refugees were approached and informed with the help of interpreters; consent forms were acquired. The survey focused on demographic data, vaccination status, screening policies and prevention of infectious diseases.ResultsA total of 61 (43 male, 70.5%) refugees (30 Afghanis, 16 Syrian, 7 Erithrean) were interviewed. Mean age was 35.2 years (SD 13.5) and 50% had received primary or secondary education, while 24.6% received none. Median time after arrival in Greece and the Netherlands was 24 months (IQR 8.5–28). 44 out of 61 (72.1) participants were willing to be vaccinated after arrival in Europe, 26 preferred vaccination and screening to be performed at the point of entry. The need for screening and vaccination was perceived higher amongst participants in Greece (100% vs 43.3%) due to living conditions leading to increased risk of outbreaks.ConclusionParticipants were willing to communicate their perspectives and concerns. Screening and vaccination programs could be more effective when implemented shortly after arrival and by involving asylum seekers and refugees when developing screening and vaccination interventions.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asylum seekers’ perspectives on vaccination and screening policies after their arrival in Greece and The Netherlands

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The lack of data on migrant specific variables (i.e., country of birth) related to VPDs [ 7 , 57 , 58 , 59 ] makes estimation of the scope of vaccine delivery challenging. Small studies done in special circumstances have shown some sub-optimal vaccine coverage and immunity, but there is a limit to how these data can be extrapolated to all migrants [ 16 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Robust surveillance data on vaccine preventable diseases and vaccine coverage in migrant populations by age group, migration type, source country, and duration of presence in the EU/EEA will be required to design effective immunisation programmes [ 57 , 58 ].…”

Section: Implementation Considerations and Evidence Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seroprevalence studies have demonstrated sub-optimal immunity to VPD among adult and child migrants [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Further, the WHO’s global data on immunisation coverage report sub-optimal immunisation among the general population worldwide, with global coverage ranging 47–85% depending on the vaccine and even greater variation between geographical region [ 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interventions to Improve Vaccination Uptake and Cost Effectiveness of Vaccination Strategies in Newly Arrived Migrants in the EU/EEA: A Systematic Review

Hui

Dunn

Morton

et al. 2018

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Newly arrived migrants to the EU/EEA (arrival within the past five years), as well as other migrant groups in the region, might be under-immunised and lack documentation of previous vaccinations, putting them at increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases circulating in Europe. We therefore performed a systematic review conforming to PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO CRD42016045798) to explore: (i) interventions that improve vaccine uptake among migrants; and (ii) cost-effectiveness of vaccination strategies among this population. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) between 1 January 2006 to 18 June 2018. We included three primary intervention studies performed in the EU/EEA or high-income countries and one cost effectiveness study relevant to vaccinations in migrants. Intervention studies showed small but promising impact only on vaccine uptake with social mobilization/community outreach, planned vaccination programs and education campaigns. Targeting migrants for catch-up vaccination is cost effective for presumptive vaccination for diphtheria, tetanus, and polio, and there was no evidence of benefit of carrying out pre-vaccination serological testing. The cost-effectiveness is sensitive to the seroprevalence and adherence to vaccinations of the migrant. We conclude that scarce but direct EU/EEA data suggest social mobilization, vaccine programs, and education campaigns are promising strategies for migrants, but more research is needed. Research should also study cost effectiveness of strategies. Vaccination of migrants should continue to be a public heath priority in EU/EEA.

show abstract

“…Recent surveys from other European countries have found that measles immunity among adult asylum seekers was relatively high with seroprevalences ranging between 73 and92.6%, although not sufficient to reach herd immunity,. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Only one of these studies involved seroprevalence results from Scandinavia and this study included adults only [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are refugees arriving in Denmark an under-immunised group for measles? A cross-sectional serology study

Hvass

Nørredam

Sodemann

et al. 2020

Vaccine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundIn 2018, Europe faced the highest number of Measles cases in a decade. In Denmark, the childhood vaccination programme has a coverage of approximately 90%. To eliminate the disease, vaccine coverage needs to be above the herd immunity threshold of 95%. This can be even more difficult to obtain, when vaccination programmes break down due to war, natural disasters etc. and concern has been raised, that unvaccinated refugees could facilitate spread of measles when migrating. MethodsIn order to address this concern, we tested 513 newly arrived refugees and family reunified refugees aged between 0 and 70 years for measles IgG antibodies. The participants were tested as part of a general health assessment between May 2016 and October 2018. In the cohort, 50% were males and the majority came from Syria (55%). ResultsWe found that 85% of the total group of refugees had immunity against measles. The 15% lacking antibodies, were evenly distributed between the various countries of origin . Moreover, we found immunity to increase with age, leaving young children most vulnerable to infection, 79.9% (<19 years) vs 89.1% (>=19 years).Interview questions on previous vaccinations did not correlate to serology. ConclusionRefugees have measles immunity slightly lower than the host population.

show abstract

IgG antibody prevalence suggests high immunization needs in newcomers to Luxembourg, 2012

Cited by 15 publications

References 28 publications

Asylum seekers’ perspectives on vaccination and screening policies after their arrival in Greece and The Netherlands

Asylum seekers’ perspectives on vaccination and screening policies after their arrival in Greece and The Netherlands

Interventions to Improve Vaccination Uptake and Cost Effectiveness of Vaccination Strategies in Newly Arrived Migrants in the EU/EEA: A Systematic Review

Are refugees arriving in Denmark an under-immunised group for measles? A cross-sectional serology study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About