Cyprus paediatricians sounded the alarm over the risk posed by under-vaccinated migrant and refugee populations, as the Health Ministry used the European Immunisation Week to stress that “vaccination is an act of social responsibility.”
Speaking at a press conference held by the Health Ministry, Michalis Anastasiades, President of the Cyprus Paediatric Society, pointed to hundreds of new measles cases and tens of thousands of whooping cough cases recorded across Europe last year, calling for vaccines to be made available to migrants and refugees currently in Cyprus. “These people also need protection, and those who cannot be vaccinated, infants who have not yet been vaccinated, must certainly be protected,” he said.
The ministry said Cyprus’s vaccination rates are high and in some cases very high, but warned that population movement and the arrival of people from countries with low or no vaccination coverage poses risks to unvaccinated infants and vulnerable groups. Officials stressed the need for easy access to vaccines for these populations.
Figures presented at the press conference showed measles coverage stood at 97% in 2024, while pneumococcal coverage reached 78.56% in 2025. Coverage for hepatitis A was 90.65% and for chickenpox 90.48%. Officials said the figures, while high, point to the need for sustained effort and timely, scientifically grounded public information.
Health Minister Neofytos Charalambidis said prevention remains a priority, adding that “this week is also an opportunity for dialogue with citizens.” Achievements in recent decades and the elimination of infectious diseases, he said, combined with prevention measures, ongoing evaluation and updates to the vaccination schedule, represent a serious public health matter.
Deputy Director General of the Health Ministry Elisavet Konstantinou described vaccines as the “cornerstone of health,” saying the message of this year’s vaccination week, “For every generation, vaccines work,” shows that the decision to vaccinate “is not just about numbers and statistics, but about people, families being protected, vulnerable individuals and those who, due to various health problems, cannot be vaccinated. Vaccination is not only a matter of scientific progress — it is also a matter of social responsibility.”
Read more: