Open AccessVaccination of Ukrainian Refugees: Need for Urgent Action
Author(s) -
Piotr Rzymski,
Halina Falfushynska,
Andrzej M Fal
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
clinical infectious diseases/clinical infectious diseases (online. university of chicago. press)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.44
H-Index - 336
eISSN - 1537-6591
pISSN - 1058-4838
DOI - 10.1093/cid/ciac276
Subject(s) - ukrainian , medicine , refugee , vaccination , action (physics) , virology , immunology , family medicine , political science , law , philosophy , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics
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 (COVID-19, measles, pertussis, tetanus, and poliomyelitis) and highlight the need for their swift management through educational campaigns, counteracting anti-science 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.