Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Among Immigrants and Refugees

Year Published:

Abstract

Some immigrants and refugees might be more vulnerable than other groups to pandemic influenza because of preexisting health and social disparities, migration history, and living conditions in the United States. Vulnerable populations and their service providers need information to overcome limited resources, inaccessible health services, limited English proficiency and foreign language barriers, cross-cultural misunderstanding, and inexperience applying recommended guidelines. To increase the utility of guidelines, the authors searched the literature, synthesized relevant findings, and examined their implications for vulnerable populations and stakeholders. In this paper, they summarize advice from an expert panel of public health scientists and service program managers who attended a meeting convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Citation

Relevant Evidence Summaries

The evidence was reviewed and included in the following summaries: 

What are the best strategies for emergency preparedness and emergency information dissemination among resettled refugees?

The evidence in this area is suggestive. Within these suggestive studies, there is broad consensus on four key points related to emergency preparedness and emergency information dissemination among resettled refugees: Pre-existing partnerships among refugee communities, community-based organizations (CBOs), and local emergency planners are vital. People who serve as social bridges between refugee communities and governmental…

About this study

AGE: Adults

DIRECTION OF EVIDENCE: No evidence about impact

FULL TEXT AVAILABILITY: Free

HOST COUNTRY: United States

HOST COUNTRY INCOME: High Income

INTERVENTION: None Tested

OUTCOME AREA: Emergency Preparedness

POPULATION: Immigrants

POPULATION: Refugees

REGION OF ORIGIN OF PARTICIPANT(S): Multiple Regions

STRENGTH OF EVIDENCE: Suggestive

TYPE OF STUDY: Suggestive evidence

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2009

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