Ravensbergen, SJ; Nellums, LB; Hargreaves, S; Stienstra, Y; Friedland, JS; ESGITM Working Group on Vaccination in Migrants
(2018)
National approaches to the vaccination of recently arrived migrants in Europe: A comparative policy analysis across 32 European countries.
Travel Med Infect Dis, 27.
pp. 33-38.
ISSN 1873-0442
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2018.10.011
SGUL Authors: Hargreaves, Sally Nellums, Laura Bruff Friedland, Jonathan Samuel
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Migrants may be underimmunised and at higher risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, yet there has been no comprehensive examination of what policies are currently implemented across Europe targeting child and adult migrants. We analysed vaccination policies for migrants in 32 EU/EEA countries and Switzerland. METHODS: Using framework analysis, we did a comparative analysis of national policies and guidelines pertaining to vaccination in recently arrived migrants through a systematic guideline and literature review and by approaching national experts. RESULTS: Six (18.8%) of 32 countries had comprehensive policies specific to the vaccination of migrants (two focused only on child migrants, four on both adults and children). Nineteen (59.4%) countries applied their national vaccination schedule for migrant vaccinations, predominantly focusing on children; and five (15.6%) countries had circulated additional migrant-specific resources to relevant health-care providers. In six (18.8%) countries, policies on migrant vaccination focused on outbreak-specific vaccines only. In ten (31.3%) countries, policies focused on priority vaccinations, with polio being the vaccine most commonly administered and heterogeneity noted in vaccines recommended to adults, adolescents, and children. Eighteen (56.3%) countries recommended that an individual should be considered as unvaccinated where vaccination records were missing, and vaccines re-administered. Nine (28.1%) countries reported that specific vaccinations were mandatory. CONCLUSION: There is considerable variation in policies across Europe regarding approaches to vaccination in adult and child migrants, and a lack of clarity on optimum ways forward, what vaccines to offer, with a need for robust research in this area. More emphasis must be placed on ensuring migrant-specific guidance is disseminated to front-line healthcare professionals to improve vaccine delivery and uptake in diverse migration populations across the region.
Item Type: | Article | ||||||
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Additional Information: | © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY/4.0/). | ||||||
Keywords: | European Union, Health policy, Immunisation, Migrants, Refugees, Vaccination, Vaccine preventable diseases, ESGITM Working Group on Vaccination in Migrants, European union, Health policy, Immunisation, Migrants, Refugees, Vaccination, Vaccine preventable diseases, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1117 Public Health And Health Services, Tropical Medicine | ||||||
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: | Academic Structure > Infection and Immunity Research Institute (INII) | ||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Travel Med Infect Dis | ||||||
ISSN: | 1873-0442 | ||||||
Language: | eng | ||||||
Dates: |
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Publisher License: | Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 | ||||||
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PubMed ID: | 30336255 | ||||||
Go to PubMed abstract | |||||||
URI: | https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/110281 | ||||||
Publisher's version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2018.10.011 |
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