ORGANIZATION OF PLANNED IMMUNIZATION OF THE POPULATION IN CRISIS SITUATIONS

Humanitarian emergencies can lead to disruption of normal health services, including routine vaccination programs. Displaced populations, including refugees and internally displaced persons, are particularly susceptible to outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as vaccine-preventable diseases (HEI). Common UIs encountered in humanitarian emergencies include measles, polio and, depending on geographical location, meningococcal meningitis, yellow fever, hepatitis A and cholera. We conducted a review of 50 published articles from 2000 to 2015 concerning MI in humanitarian emergencies. This article provides updated information on the available literature on vaccination among this extremely vulnerable population group and describes the unique problems associated with MI during humanitarian emergencies. Humanitarian emergencies expose the affected population to the risk of increased morbidity and mortality from MI due to the creation or aggravation of factors associated with the transmission of the disease, such as mass population movements, overpopulation, malnutrition and poor water and sanitation conditions. Vaccination is one of the most basic and most important medical measures to protect vulnerable groups of the population during emergencies. Growing insecurity, as evidenced by the increase in targeted attacks on health workers in recent years, as well as the destruction of the cold chain and the infrastructure for transporting materials, create new challenges in providing life-saving vaccines in conflict conditions. Population displacement could also jeopardize global efforts to eradicate and eliminate MI.