Living as a refugee or displaced person means facing many challenges from the uncertainty of having to leave home to struggling with limited access to essential services. Among these challenges, staying healthy through vaccination can sometimes be overlooked or difficult to achieve.
Vaccines are powerful tools that protect you, your family, and your community from serious diseases.
This blog post helps explain why vaccination is so important, especially when living in camps or temporary settlements, and provides practical advice on how to access safe immunization services even when barriers exist.
Why Is Vaccination Important for Refugees and Displaced Persons?
When families are forced to flee due to conflict, disasters, or persecution, routine healthcare like vaccinations is often disrupted. In crowded settlements, the risk of contagious diseases spreading quickly is high, making vaccination a vital defense.
Vaccines train your body to fight illnesses before they make you sick. By getting vaccinated, you’re protecting yourself and those around you especially babies, elderly people, and those with weaker immune systems.Vaccines train your body to fight illnesses before they make you sick. By getting vaccinated, you’re protecting yourself and those around you especially babies, elderly people, and those with weaker immune systems.
Despite their importance, many refugee and migrant children face significant hurdles to vaccination. The World Health Organization reports that over 500,000 children every year in the WHO European Region miss one or more recommended vaccinations.
Barriers such as language difficulties, mistrust in health systems, and logistical problems prevent many from receiving essential immunizations.
These gaps in vaccination coverage leave displaced communities vulnerable to outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough diseases that can be deadly.
What Barriers Prevent Access to Vaccines?
Many refugees and displaced persons experience difficulties including:
- Legal and Documentation Issues: Without official IDs or registration, some health providers hesitate to vaccinate.
- Distance and Transport Challenges: Vaccination centers can be far from camps, making travel difficult and sometimes unsafe.
- Language and Cultural Differences: Information may not be available in refugees’ native languages, leading to confusion or mistrust.
- Misinformation and Vaccine Hesitancy: Fear of side effects or myths about vaccines causes some to avoid vaccination.
- Financial Costs: Though vaccines may be free, travel costs and time away from work can be a burden.
- Policy and Systemic Barriers: Exclusion from national health plans leaves many refugees unvaccinated.
Understanding these barriers helps us find practical ways to overcome them.
How Can To Safely Get Vaccinated in Camps or Settlements
Here’s what you can do to get vaccinated safely:
- Locate Vaccination Services: Ask camp health workers, local NGOs, or community leaders about nearby vaccination clinics and outreach events. Many organizations bring mobile clinics directly to camps.
- Register if Possible: Registration helps track vaccinations and plan follow-ups, but lack of documents should not discourage you.
- Plan Your Visit Carefully: Choose safe times to travel, bring any health or vaccination cards, and ask for assistance if needed.
- Know What to Expect: Vaccines are usually given by injection or oral drops, with minor side effects like soreness or mild fever that go away quickly.
- Complete the Full Schedule: Some vaccines require multiple doses; returning for follow-up is crucial.
Commonly Recommended Vaccines for Refugees
Vaccines protect against diseases likely to spread in crowded or resource-poor settings:
- Measles
- Polio
- COVID-19
- Tetanus
- Hepatitis B
- Diphtheria, Pertussis (Whooping Cough), and more
Health workers will advise which vaccines you and your family need based on your age and health history.
To make informed vaccination decisions:
- Speak with healthcare workers or camp health volunteers.
- Listen to community health education sessions.
- Seek information from UN agencies like WHO and UNHCR.
- Use official health announcements and trusted local NGOs.
Overcoming Fear and Misinformation
Vaccines protect against diseases likely to spread in crowded or resource-poor settings:
- Vaccines don’t cause diseases they prepare your immune system.
- Millions of lives worldwide have been saved through vaccines.
- Talking with trusted health workers and community members can ease fears.
- Protecting yourself helps protect your whole community.
What You Can Do to Protect Your Health and Community
- Keep vaccination records safe.
- Encourage family and neighbors to get vaccinated.
- Attend all vaccine appointments, including boosters.
- Practice good hygiene like regular handwashing.
- Stay informed about vaccination programs in your area.
Vaccines are a key part of staying healthy, especially for people living through displacement. Despite challenges, many refugees have successfully accessed vaccines that protect themselves and their loved ones.
Remember, your health is a right, no matter where you live or what documents you have. Reach out to health workers and trusted organizations the path to safe vaccination is open to you.
Teleios Health International is dedicated to supporting displaced families by providing accessible and compassionate vaccination and immunization programs. Through these efforts, we help vulnerable communities receive the protection they need to stay healthy and safe, no matter where they find themselves.
