Concerns about immigrant child immunization

The arrival of immigrant children to our country means a challenge for all Paediatricians. To take care of these children, Health Promotion Activities are needed. Among them, updating the immunization schedule in Primary Health Care is of great importance. Continuous changes in Vaccination Schedule must be applied to all children and should be provided in Immigrant Children Vaccination Programs, which means an increase in complexity of Catch-up Schedule Immunization. Levels of vaccination coverage are lower among immigrant children population than in national-born children, especially against Haemophilus influenzae typo b and Hepatitis B. This fact produces deep concern because of the frequent tendency of these children to live under precarious conditions and to present increased risk of exposure. On the other hand, the application of the Catch-up schedule Immunization to unknown vaccination records children could lead children to an excess immunization, with possible sensibilization reactions. Besides, local epidemics of Hepatitis A have been reported when these children return from a travel to their parents? countries. No community is properly protected against vaccine-preventable diseases without high vaccination coverage. Therefore, strategies, which could increase immigrant children vaccination coverage, should be created so that effectiveness of Immunization Programs could be improved.