Prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases and chronic medical conditions among Ukrainian refugees in Germany – A cross sectional study from the German Network University Medicine (NUM)
Background: Vulnerability to infectious diseases in refugees is dependent on country of origin, flight routes, and conditions. Information on specific medical needs of different groups of refugees is lacking. We assessed the prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Infection and Public Health |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034124000297 |
| _version_ | 1797249187647062016 |
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| author | Folke Brinkmann Anette Friedrichs Georg MN Behrens Pia Behrens Reinhard Berner Amke Caliebe Claudia M. Denkinger Katharina Giesbrecht Alexander Gussew Anna Theresa Hoffmann Leonhard Hojenski Olga Hovardovska Alexandra Dopfer-Jablonka Achim J. Kaasch Robin Kobbe Monika Kraus Andreas Lindner Christoph Maier Lazar Mitrov Matthias Nauck Susana Nunes de Miranda Margarete Scherer Yvonne Schmiedel Dana Stahl Nina Timmesfeld Nicole Toepfner Janne Vehreschild Walter A. Wohlgemuth Astrid Petersmann Maria J.G.T. Vehreschild |
| author_facet | Folke Brinkmann Anette Friedrichs Georg MN Behrens Pia Behrens Reinhard Berner Amke Caliebe Claudia M. Denkinger Katharina Giesbrecht Alexander Gussew Anna Theresa Hoffmann Leonhard Hojenski Olga Hovardovska Alexandra Dopfer-Jablonka Achim J. Kaasch Robin Kobbe Monika Kraus Andreas Lindner Christoph Maier Lazar Mitrov Matthias Nauck Susana Nunes de Miranda Margarete Scherer Yvonne Schmiedel Dana Stahl Nina Timmesfeld Nicole Toepfner Janne Vehreschild Walter A. Wohlgemuth Astrid Petersmann Maria J.G.T. Vehreschild |
| author_sort | Folke Brinkmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Vulnerability to infectious diseases in refugees is dependent on country of origin, flight routes, and conditions. Information on specific medical needs of different groups of refugees is lacking. We assessed the prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases, and chronic medical conditions in children, adolescents, and adult refugees from Ukraine who arrived in Germany in 2022. Methods: Using different media, we recruited Ukrainian refugees at 13 sites between 9–12/2022. An antigen test for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, serologies for a range of vaccine-preventable diseases, as well as interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) for tuberculosis (TB), and SARS-CoV-2 were performed. We assessed personal and family history of chronic medical conditions, infectious diseases, vaccination status, and conditions during migration. Results: Overall, 1793 refugees (1401 adults and 392 children/adolescents) were included. Most participants were females (n = 1307; 72·3%) and from Eastern or Southern Ukraine. TB IGRA was positive in 13% (n = 184) of the adults and in 2% (n = 7) of the children.Serology-based immunological response was insufficient in approximately 21% (360/1793) of the participants for measles, 32% (572/1793) for diphtheria, and 74% (1289/1793) for hepatitis B. Conclusions: We show evidence of low serological response to vaccine-preventable infections and increased LTBI prevalence in Ukrainian refugees. These findings should be integrated into guidelines for screening and treatment of infectious diseases in migrants and refugees in Germany and Europe. Furthermore, low immunity for vaccine-preventable diseases in Ukrainians independent of their refugee status, calls for tailor-made communication efforts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T20:26:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fc93f1e6732645deaacbb33253fad091 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1876-0341 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T20:26:30Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Infection and Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-fc93f1e6732645deaacbb33253fad0912024-03-22T05:38:58ZengElsevierJournal of Infection and Public Health1876-03412024-04-01174642649Prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases and chronic medical conditions among Ukrainian refugees in Germany – A cross sectional study from the German Network University Medicine (NUM)Folke Brinkmann0Anette Friedrichs1Georg MN Behrens2Pia Behrens3Reinhard Berner4Amke Caliebe5Claudia M. Denkinger6Katharina Giesbrecht7Alexander Gussew8Anna Theresa Hoffmann9Leonhard Hojenski10Olga Hovardovska11Alexandra Dopfer-Jablonka12Achim J. Kaasch13Robin Kobbe14Monika Kraus15Andreas Lindner16Christoph Maier17Lazar Mitrov18Matthias Nauck19Susana Nunes de Miranda20Margarete Scherer21Yvonne Schmiedel22Dana Stahl23Nina Timmesfeld24Nicole Toepfner25Janne Vehreschild26Walter A. Wohlgemuth27Astrid Petersmann28Maria J.G.T. Vehreschild29University Children’s Hospital, Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, GermanyDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; German Center for Infection Research, Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, GermanyGoethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, GermanyInstitute of Medical Informatics and Statistics, Kiel University and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, GermanyDivision of Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; German Centre for Infection Research, partner site Heidelberg, GermanyGoethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyClinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Medical Clinic Halle, Halle (Saale), GermanyUniversity Children’s Hospital, Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, GermanyDepartment of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research Braunschweig, Germany; German Centre for Infection Research, TI BBD, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, GermanyDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; German Center for Infection Research, Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, GermanyInstitute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, Otto-von-Guericke-University MagdeburgInstitute for Infection Research and Vaccine Development (IIRVD), University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, GermanyInstitute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, GermanyCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Center for Global Health, Institute of International Health, Berlin, GermanyUniversity Children’s Hospital, Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, GermanyUniversity of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, GermanyInstitute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovacsular Research), Partner Site Greifswald, University Medicine, Greifswald, GermanyUniversity of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, GermanyGoethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital Frankfurt, Department II of Internal Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, GermanyTrusted Third Party of the University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, GermanyDepartment of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr University Bochum, GermanyDepartment of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, GermanyDZHK (German Centre for Cardiovacsular Research), Partner Site Greifswald, University Medicine, Greifswald, GermanyClinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Medical Clinic Halle, Halle (Saale), GermanyInstitute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Oldenburg, Oldenburg, GermanyGoethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Correspondence to: Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt, Klinik 2 für Innere Medizin, Theodor Sterm Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.Background: Vulnerability to infectious diseases in refugees is dependent on country of origin, flight routes, and conditions. Information on specific medical needs of different groups of refugees is lacking. We assessed the prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases, and chronic medical conditions in children, adolescents, and adult refugees from Ukraine who arrived in Germany in 2022. Methods: Using different media, we recruited Ukrainian refugees at 13 sites between 9–12/2022. An antigen test for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, serologies for a range of vaccine-preventable diseases, as well as interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) for tuberculosis (TB), and SARS-CoV-2 were performed. We assessed personal and family history of chronic medical conditions, infectious diseases, vaccination status, and conditions during migration. Results: Overall, 1793 refugees (1401 adults and 392 children/adolescents) were included. Most participants were females (n = 1307; 72·3%) and from Eastern or Southern Ukraine. TB IGRA was positive in 13% (n = 184) of the adults and in 2% (n = 7) of the children.Serology-based immunological response was insufficient in approximately 21% (360/1793) of the participants for measles, 32% (572/1793) for diphtheria, and 74% (1289/1793) for hepatitis B. Conclusions: We show evidence of low serological response to vaccine-preventable infections and increased LTBI prevalence in Ukrainian refugees. These findings should be integrated into guidelines for screening and treatment of infectious diseases in migrants and refugees in Germany and Europe. Furthermore, low immunity for vaccine-preventable diseases in Ukrainians independent of their refugee status, calls for tailor-made communication efforts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034124000297InfectionsSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2Infectious diseasesrefugeesUkraine |
| spellingShingle | Folke Brinkmann Anette Friedrichs Georg MN Behrens Pia Behrens Reinhard Berner Amke Caliebe Claudia M. Denkinger Katharina Giesbrecht Alexander Gussew Anna Theresa Hoffmann Leonhard Hojenski Olga Hovardovska Alexandra Dopfer-Jablonka Achim J. Kaasch Robin Kobbe Monika Kraus Andreas Lindner Christoph Maier Lazar Mitrov Matthias Nauck Susana Nunes de Miranda Margarete Scherer Yvonne Schmiedel Dana Stahl Nina Timmesfeld Nicole Toepfner Janne Vehreschild Walter A. Wohlgemuth Astrid Petersmann Maria J.G.T. Vehreschild Prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases and chronic medical conditions among Ukrainian refugees in Germany – A cross sectional study from the German Network University Medicine (NUM) Journal of Infection and Public Health Infections Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 Infectious diseases refugees Ukraine |
| title | Prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases and chronic medical conditions among Ukrainian refugees in Germany – A cross sectional study from the German Network University Medicine (NUM) |
| title_full | Prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases and chronic medical conditions among Ukrainian refugees in Germany – A cross sectional study from the German Network University Medicine (NUM) |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases and chronic medical conditions among Ukrainian refugees in Germany – A cross sectional study from the German Network University Medicine (NUM) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases and chronic medical conditions among Ukrainian refugees in Germany – A cross sectional study from the German Network University Medicine (NUM) |
| title_short | Prevalence of infectious diseases, immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases and chronic medical conditions among Ukrainian refugees in Germany – A cross sectional study from the German Network University Medicine (NUM) |
| title_sort | prevalence of infectious diseases immunity to vaccine preventable diseases and chronic medical conditions among ukrainian refugees in germany a cross sectional study from the german network university medicine num |
| topic | Infections Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 Infectious diseases refugees Ukraine |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034124000297 |
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