Immunisation coverage among refugee Afghan children in Islamic Republic of Iran

Although immunisation services are free in Islamic Republic of Iran, coverage among refugee Afghan children remains suboptimal.

To assess immunisation coverage among refugee Afghan children aged ˂2 years in suburban Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Using a locally adapted version of the WHO standard immunisation coverage questionnaire, we collected immunisation data from 313 refugee Afghan children aged ˂2 years in suburban Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran. Immunisation status was confirmed using immunisation cards or maternal recall if cards were unavailable. We analysed the data using SPSS version 21 and conducted chi-square tests to examine associations between categorical variables, analysis of variance for continuous variables, and unadjusted linear regression to identify predictors of immunisation status. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Of the children, 79.9% were fully vaccinated. Immunisation status was associated with maternal age, number of children, child's sex, religion, and duration of residence in the country. Main barriers to immunisation were fear of sideeffects, low confidence in vaccines, illness, and scheduling challenges.

The approximately 20% immunisation gap found in this study highlights the need for tailored interventions to address the structural and behavioural barriers to immunisation among this population group, including education campaigns to counter common misconceptions about vaccines.