A report in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) says that our practice of allowing refugees to enter the US unvaccinated is costing the US taxpayer a bundle and possibly resulting in the introduction of preventable diseases.
I was surprised to learn that refugees can wait a year to be vaccinated.
Since 2000, approximately 50,000 refugees have entered the United States each year from various regions of the world. Although persons with immigrant status are legally required to be vaccinated before entering the United States, this requirement does not extend to U.S.-bound persons with refugee status. After 1 year in the United States, refugees can apply for a change of status to that of legal permanent resident, at which time they are required to be fully vaccinated in accordance with recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). A potentially less costly alternative might be to vaccinate U.S.-bound refugees overseas routinely, before they depart from refugee camps. To compare the cost of vaccinating refugees overseas versus after their arrival in the United States, CDC analyzed 2005 data on the number of refugees, cost of vaccine, and cost of vaccine administration. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which suggested that, in 2005, vaccinating 50,787 refugees overseas would have cost an estimated $7.7 million, less than one third of the estimated $26.0 million cost of vaccinating in the United States. Costs were calculated from the perspective of the U.S. health-care system. To achieve public health cost savings, routine overseas vaccination of U.S.-bound refugees should be considered.
They also suggest that preventable diseases may enter the country due to this practice.
In addition to cost savings, vaccination of refugees overseas has the potential to reduce importation of diseases into the United States and reduce costs associated with response to outbreaks. Refugees often come from areas where vaccine-preventable diseases are endemic (e.g., measles in Africa). During 2004-2007, CDC responded to 19 outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases that occurred in overseas camps housing U.S.-bound refugees.
One thing JAMA did not mention, and maybe they don’t know, is that refugees can ‘disappear into the woodwork’ of America within the first few months of their arrival and no one even knows if they are vaccinated because the volags do not keep track of refugees they resettle.
See our entire “health” category to learn more about other health issues related to refugees.
And, sorry for the lousy font in the quotes. Either I’m incompetent or sometimes it seems Wordpress has a mind of its own when it comes to moving text to our blog.