Vaccine hesitancy among migrants and refugees in Europe: from the local to global perspective

BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy (VH) in migrants and refugees (M/R) undermine the prevention of communicable diseases. Scientific research is valuable regarding its potential for producing analyses to better understand the phenomenon. OBJECTIVES: To present findings of the 1st phase of the RIVER-EU project on vaccination among M/R populations. To provide a more comprehensive - from local to global - perspective by reviewing the evidence of the problem. METHODS: During the 4th quarter of 2022 qualitative studies were conducted which described barriers to vaccination among the Ukrainian M/R (Poland); M/R (Greece); Turkish/Moroccan adolescent females (Netherlands); the Roma community (Slovakia). VH exploration was an important ‘by-product’ of the project. This presentation will go beyond research results - a review of the existing evidence will help contextualize our findings. RESULTS: VH among M/R depended on a variety of factors, which differed between countries and selected communities and were deeply rooted in geographical, political but also cultural and social context. For example, drivers of HPV VH among the Ukrainian M/R in Poland were influenced by personal risk perception, such as self-perceived risks and severity of illnesses caused by the virus; these were fueled by low awareness, lack of credible information in Ukrainian language, and lack of satisfactory education. Lack of confidence in the quality, safety and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine distributed in Ukraine, powered by the loss of trust in medical staff/governmental institutions, due to the universal bribery and corruption in the health sector, also played an important role. Deprioritization of the HPV vaccine caused by misconceptions about non-mandatory vaccinations also influenced VH. CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of VH in M/R groups, with the help of the monitoring over longer periods of time is urgently needed. Monitoring M/R VH can inform needed interventions to support vaccine acceptance.