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Access and Barriers to Childhood Immunization Among Migrant Populations

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Book cover Access to Primary Care and Preventative Health Services of Migrants

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Abstract

Vaccine preventable diseases are mostly under control in the EU, thanks to successful immunisation programmes. Nevertheless, immunisation gaps still exist among the European child population. Pockets of susceptible population may jeopardise priority public health programmes like the measles and rubella elimination programme and represent a threat for keeping the polio-free status. Children belonging to disadvantaged groups, including families with migrant background, are considered at higher risk for some vaccine preventable disease. The increased risk is mainly linked to difficult access to vaccination services and subsequent low vaccination coverage in local communities. Language barriers, lack of targeted communication strategies, the absence of diversity-oriented organisation behaviours, altogether contribute to create a hostile environment for improving the compliance of migrant families to childhood vaccination programmes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Pier Luigi Lopalco

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  1. Pier Luigi Lopalco
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Correspondence to Pier Luigi Lopalco .

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  1. National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy

    Aldo Rosano

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Lopalco, P.L. (2018). Access and Barriers to Childhood Immunization Among Migrant Populations. In: Rosano, A. (eds) Access to Primary Care and Preventative Health Services of Migrants. SpringerBriefs in Public Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73630-3_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73630-3_2

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