The electronic Personal Health(ePHR) Record is a health information system that registers health data on newly arriving migrants and was implemented in eight European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia). This is a cross-sectional study aimed to describe the health problems and health status of all migrants attended at health clinics as part of the health assessment programme established in the reception centres(2016–2019).
The current document includes general recommendations on ethical standards, use of interpreters and specific recommendations for prevention or early detection of communicable and non-communicable diseases. It may serve as a tool to ensure the fundamental right that migrant children in Europe receive a comprehensive, patient-centred health care.
Scientific Advice
The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of screening for latent tuberculosis among migrants in the EU/EEA: a systematic review
We conducted a systematic review to determine effectiveness (yield and performance of chest radiography (CXR) to detect active TB, treatment outcomes and acceptance of screening) and a second systematic review on cost-effectiveness of screening for active TB among migrants living in the EU/EEA.
Authors
Andrew T. Boyd, Susan T. Cookson
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405579418300329
Summary
The TB care for communities in emergency contexts satellite session at the 2017 48th Union World Conference on Lung Health discussed the impact of the Syrian displacement crisis on regional tuberculosis (TB) control. At the session, representatives of the affected countries and of international organizations reviewed the epidemiologic impact of Syrian displacement on regional TB control, as well as challenges and successes seen in TB control during this displacement. This discussion offered several lessons for TB control in other humanitarian emergencies. TB control in humanitarian emergencies requires increasing awareness of TB symptoms and services among healthcare workers and the affected populations. It also requires performing standardized symptom screening at borders or registration, while leveraging more widely available radiographic and diagnostic tools to find cases in high-burden settings that may be missed using symptom screening alone. Additionally, treatment completion rates can be maintained and improved through dedication of sufficient resources and innovative strategies to keep mobile populations on treatment. Finally, sustained commitment, including funding, from the international humanitarian community is necessary to improve TB control, and ultimately end TB, both in the Syria crisis and other humanitarian emergencies worldwide.
Authors
Bakhtiyar Babamuradov, Alexander Trusov, Mariam Sianozova, and Zhanna Zhandauletova
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Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious and deadly disease, yet it can be prevented by identifying new cases and cured by completing treatment. In Central Asia the large flow of migration poses significant challenges for preventing the spread of TB. According to the Central Tuberculosis Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Medical Science, the incidence of TB and multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant TB is 2.5 times higher among labor migrants than among the general population. Cramped and poorly ventilated living conditions and lack of access to TB diagnostic and treatment services contribute to a heightened risk of infection among labor migrants and of cross-border TB outbreaks. Language barriers and fear of deportation can deter labor migrants from seeking health services. A regional TB control strategy is necessary to mitigate these risks.
Authors
Anete Cook
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Summary
On June 6-7 2017, Almaty, Kazakhstan, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Central Asia met in a regional workshop to create a network for tuberculosis (TB) control.
Authors
Cookson ST, Abaza H, Clarke KR, Burton A, Sabrah NA, Rumman KA, et al.
Find it at
https://conflictandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13031-015-0044-7
Summary
With the influx of over a million Syrian refugees into neighboring countries, a TB public health strategy
using screen, diagnose, treat, and build was developed and evaluated. The International Organization for
Migreation (IOM) strategy has been replicated in Iraq and Lebanon.