Vaccination of Ukrainian Refugees: Need for Urgent Action.
expert_opinion · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35435230.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1093/cid/ciac276 and PMC identifier 9383728.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The unprovoked aggression of Russian military forces on Ukraine in February 2022 has caused a high influx of refugees, including children, to neighboring countries, particularly Poland. This caused additional pressures on the healthcare system and the need to meet challenges for public health, such as those related to infectious diseases. Here, we discuss the potential epidemiological risks associated with the war-induced influx of refugees (coronavirus disease 2019, measles, pertussis, tetanus, and poliomyelitis) and highlight the need for their swift management through institutional support, educational campaigns, counteracting antiscience misinformation, and pursuing vaccinations of refugees but also improving or maintaining good levels of immunization in populations of countries welcoming them. These are necessary actions to avoid overlapping of war and infectious diseases and associated public health challenges.
Medical subject headings
- COVID-19
- Communicable Diseases
- Poliomyelitis
- Refugees