Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 36, 2019, Pages 5439-5451

Immunisation of migrants in EU/EEA countries: Policies and practices (Article) (Open Access)

Giambi C.* , Del Manso M. , Marchetti G. , Olsson K. , Adel Ali K. , Declich S.
  • a Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome, 00161, Italy
  • b Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome, 00161, Italy
  • c Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome, 00161, Italy, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, 00185, Italy
  • d European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Gustav III:s boulevard 40, Solna, 169 73, Sweden
  • e European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Gustav III:s boulevard 40, Solna, 169 73, Sweden
  • f Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome, 00161, Italy

Abstract

In recent years various EU/EEA countries have experienced an influx of migrants from low and middle-income countries. In 2018, the “Vaccine European New Integrated Collaboration Effort (VENICE)” survey group conducted a survey among 30 EU/EEA countries to investigate immunisation policies and practices targeting irregular migrants, refugees and asylum seekers (later called “migrants” in this report). Twenty-nine countries participated in the survey. Twenty-eight countries reported having national policies targeting children/adolescent and adult migrants, however vaccinations offered to adult migrants are limited to specific conditions in seven countries. All the vaccinations included in the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) are offered to children/adolescents in 27/28 countries and to adults in 13/28 countries. In the 15 countries offering only certain vaccinations to adults, priority is given to diphtheria-tetanus, measles-mumps-rubella and polio vaccinations. Information about the vaccines given to child/adolescent migrants is recorded in 22 countries and to adult migrants in 19 countries with a large variation in recording methods found across countries. Individual and aggregated data are reportedly not shared with other centres/institutions in 13 and 15 countries, respectively. Twenty countries reported not collecting data on vaccination uptake among migrants; only three countries have these data at the national level. Procedures to guarantee migrants’ access to vaccinations at the community level are available in 13 countries. In conclusion, although diversified, strategies for migrant vaccination are in place in all countries except for one, and the strategies are generally in line with international recommendations. Efforts are needed to strengthen partnerships and implement initiatives across countries of origin, transit and destination to develop and better share documentation in order to guarantee a completion of vaccination series and to avoid unnecessary re-vaccination. Development of migrant-friendly strategies to facilitate migrants' access to vaccination and collection of vaccination uptake data among migrants is needed to meet existing gaps. © 2019 The Authors

Author Keywords

Migrants Europe Vaccine preventable diseases Vaccination policy

Index Keywords

information processing refugee health care planning health care policy human access to information middle income country European Economic Area diphtheria tetanus vaccine priority journal BCG vaccine health care practice groups by age asylum seeker health program migrant influenza vaccine Adolescent Wart virus vaccine poliomyelitis vaccine tuberculosis medical record European Union Meningococcus vaccine Article adult health care access measles mumps rubella vaccine pneumococcal infection hepatitis B vaccine mumps low income country papillomavirus infection Pneumococcus vaccine rubella hepatitis B poliomyelitis influenza immunization diphtheria measles tetanus Child meningococcosis health survey

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85068479905&doi=10.1016%2fj.vaccine.2019.06.068&partnerID=40&md5=bc3eaca568e2d5e8ed9d0b1163df1690

DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.06.068
ISSN: 0264410X
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English