Vaccination rates for Syrian population under temporary protection in Turkey

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to gather information on demographic and health indicators, primarily vaccination status, of Syrians under temporary protection in five provinces of Turkey and to develop infrastructure for vaccination planning. Methods: The population under study consists of 89,986 Syrian children, 0-4 years of age, residing in Ankara, Mersin, Gaziantep, Izmir, and Bursa. Initially, we planned to evaluate 2,339 children, although a total of 2,827 children were evaluated by the end of the study. Results: Of these children, 74% were born in Turkey, while 20% were born in Syria. In addition, 22.4% (n = 634) of the children were never vaccinated, and of these, 67.0% (n = 425) were born in Turkey. In other words, one in five Syrian children born in Turkey (20.3%) had never been vaccinated. Of the Syrian children under temporary protection, the missing vaccinations were as follows: hepatitis B (54.7%); Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (62.5%); five-component combined vaccine (64.6%); conjugated pneumococcal vaccine (58.0%); oral polio vaccine (70.8%); measles, mumps, and rubella (76.6%); varicella (66.8%); and hepatitis A vaccine (76.0%). Conclusion: It is important to increase the immunization rates of Syrian children under temporary protection and establish regular vaccination procedures.

Access to Vaccination among Disadvantaged, Isolated and Difficult-to-Reach Communities in the WHO European Region: A Systematic Review

“…The rotavirus vaccine was reported for only children, and low coverage was found in traveller communities (47.6%) and reduced uptake with subsequent dosage in disadvantaged areas (most deprived: first dose, 90.6%; second dose, 84.9%) [ 100 ]. Protection against shingles and varicella infections among migrants was high, for instance, seroprotection in Syrian migrants in Turkey (91.4%) and asylum seekers in The Netherlands (96%), but coverage by deprivation regions in the UK was lower (most deprived, 54.1%; least deprived, 64.1%) [ 23 , 44 , 101 ].…”

“…At the individual level, awareness of personal risk factors, access to health insurance or cost-free services and community vaccination centres were vital to encouraging vaccine uptake [ 18 , 42 , 53 , 66 , 109 ]. Generally, the decision to vaccinate was primarily made by mothers [ 23 ], and the most influential source of parental decisions to vaccinate their children was the healthcare staff, such as nurses and doctors, and, to a lesser extent, information from family and friends, the Ministry of Health and the internet [ 109 , 111 ]. Face-to-face communication was considered a more effective approach to reaching communities and gaining their trust, using community vaccine promotion outreach strategies [ 18 ].…”

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis A, B, and C in Syrian Refugee Children Newly Diagnosed With Cancer

“…Most of them were not sufficiently informed about the vaccination that should be administered to the children. Another issue was the communication difficulties, which could have been caused by a language barrier 19 …”

“…Another issue was the communication difficulties, which could have been caused by a language barrier. 19 Refugee children all over the world face many challenges, physically and psychologically. Many of these threats may be unavoidable.…”