Serosurvey for vaccine-preventable diseases among adult refugees

In 2015, the number of refugees seeking asylum in The Netherlands has
substantially increased. The majority of refugees originate from Syria (46%),
followed by other countries in the Greater Middle East as well as the Horn of
Africa. Political unrest and war may have hampered vaccination programs in
these countries, which might have resulted in a part of young children being
vulnerable to infection with vaccine-preventable diseases. Currently, refugee
children from 0 to 19 years of age have their vaccination status assessed and,
if necessary, receive vaccinations against diseases of the National
Immunisation Programme (NIP) upon arrival in The Netherlands. However, for
adults, detailed information on vaccination programs and vaccination coverage
is not available and insight into the degree of immunity against
vaccine-preventable is largely lacking. Recent studies from Germany indicated
that adult refugees are insufficiently protected against infection with
measles, rubella and varicella virus. Also, in The Netherlands hepatitis A and
varicella outbreaks were recently reported among refugees, in which not only
children but also adults were affected. In addition, information on the
prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis in adult refugees is relevant to inform
screening policy in this risk group.

1) To obtain insight into the age-specific seroprevalence (immunity) for
selected vaccine-preventable diseases among adult refugees in order to
determine the need for targeted vaccination campaigns among identified risk
groups (age, country of origin).

2) To determine the prevalence of previous or current (i.e. chronic) hepatitis
B and hepatitis C virus infection among adult refugees in order to inform
screening policy among this risk group.

This study is an observational cross-sectional study with a single invasive
measurement (drawing of blood).

Potential discomfort associated with blood collection is possible, but is
considered a minimal burden.