Access to vaccination for newly arrived migrants in Poland: Evidence and implications for action (AcToVax4NAM project)

Introduction:

In Europe, in recent years, we have been facing numerous migration crises, which have resulted in significant health, social, and economic consequences for host countries, particularly in terms of the transmission and control of infectious diseases, including vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccinations serve as the primary tool for preventing the spread of communicable diseases, safeguarding the health of newly arrived migrants (NAMs) and the health of the communities they become a part of. Reaching under-vaccinated groups (i.e., NAMs) requires understanding the barriers to immunization they face and developing tailored strategies to improve access and uptake.

Since vaccination coverage among migrants in European countries remains low and immunization is not a priority for them, this study aimed to identify the barriers to vaccination and develop systemic solutions to increase the vaccination uptake of NAMs in Poland.

Methods:

This qualitative research study was conducted in April 2024. Two online focus group discussions involved 19 stakeholders working with NAMs in the field of immunization or the healthcare/social care sector as part of the project “Access To Vaccination for Newly Arrived Migrants” (AcToVax4NAM).

Results:

We identified a range of factors driving under-immunization in migrant populations in each of the following five steps on the pathway in the immunization process: (1) entitlement to vaccination, (2) reachability of people to be vaccinated, (3) adherence to vaccination, (4) achievement of vaccination, and (5) evaluation of the intervention. To improve the access to vaccination of NAMs, country-specific, action-oriented flowcharts with relevant solutions to overcome system barriers to effective vaccination and a repository of useful tools were developed.

Conclusions:

We recommend working closely with migrant communities to understand their health and vaccination needs in the host countries, as well as implementing co-designed tailored interventions, data collection, and good practice sharing as effective strategies to enhance vaccination outcomes for NAMs and to reduce population health inequities.