refugee & migrants' health

1. Refugee and
migrant health
By :Azza soliman soliman
Under supervision of
Prof Dr.Mona Aboserea
Zagazig university

2. Refugee health
also known as migrant health or
immigrant health, is the field of
study on the health effects
experienced by people who have
moved into another country or even
to another part of the world, either
by choice or as a result of unsafe
circumstances such as war or
persecution.

3.  Displaced populations' health is mainly
affected by
infectious disease,
mental health,
and chronic diseases that are
uncommon in the country in which they
eventually settle.

4. Refugee health status is largely due to
factors such as
the migrant's geographic origin,
 conditions of refugee camps or urban
settings where they lived,
 personal, physical, and psychological
conditions of the migrant, either pre-existing
or acquired while traveling from their
homeland to a camp or eventually to their
new home

5. Factors affecting migrants health
 There are various factors and conditions that influence the health of
migrants;
 The social determinants of health range from the general socioeconomic,
legal, cultural, environmental, and physical environments to individual
factors such as lifestyle, age, hereditary, and behavioral factors that
impact the health of migrants.
 There may be differences in the disease profiles and health risk factors
between migrant and host populations, or inequalities in the access/uptake
of preventive interventions and in treatment outcomes based on
migration.


7. Factors affecting migrants health
 Type and stage of migration affect the health of migrants eg.
Irregular migrants may be excluded from accessing primary
health care services, vaccination campaigns and health-promotion
interventions due to the lack of legal status, stigma,
discrimination, language, cultural barriers and low-income levels.
 Conditions of migration may support risky behaviors e g. Sex
trafficking.

8. Refugees and migrants common health
problems
a) Communicable diseases:
 Affect vulnerable individuals, especially children
 Newborn and child morbidity and mortality
 Skin infections
 Respiratory infections, TB, measles
 Gastrointestinal illnesses
 Food- and waterborne diseases.
 HIV, Hepatitis
 Endemic disease in host country

9. b)Non communicable diseases:
 DM, hypertension, cardiovascular incidents.
 Psychosocial disorders
 Reproductive health problems (STD)
 Drug abuse, alcoholism, nutrition disorders
 Exposure to violence, injuries, burns
 Pregnancy and delivery-related complications

10. Impact of weather conditions on the health of
refugees and migrants
1-Cold weather
 The adverse health effects associated with exposure to the cold
include those listed below.
 Hypothermia, or body temperature below 35.0 °C, is due to
exposure to extreme cold or immersion in cold water.
 Frost-bite due to exposure to cold air, wind and humidity.
Contact with cold objects or liquids, long exposure and
inappropriate or wet clothing increase the severity of frost-bite.
Frost-bite is most common in the fingers, toes, nose, ears,
cheeks and chin.

11. Impact of weather conditions on the health of refugees and
migrants
 Cold temperatures can increase the risks for fractures,
sprains and strains from falls and accidents as well as
cardiovascular, respiratory and mental health problems.
 Severe bacterial and viral infections, such as respiratory
diseases, are also more common in the winter and are
increasingly associated with exposure to the cold.
 Ice and snow can severely disrupt general transport,
compromising access to roads and pavements, thus
increasing the risk for accidents.

12. 2-Hot weather
Very hot weather can also cause illness
and death.
Dehydration and exhaustion
Life-threatening heat-stroke.
Worsen existing conditions such as
cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

13. Strategies to support migrants and
refugees
1-Communicable diseases
General infection prevention and control measures
 Access to sanitary facilities
 Hand-washing facilities and sufficient soap should always be made
available near toilets.
 Sufficient amounts of safe drinking-water and when necessary,
emergency water supplies may be established (e.g. packaged water,
trucked water and/or mobile water treatment, disinfection and
storage units).

14. General infection prevention and control measures
Sufficient food supplies and clothes and warming
facilities
Local authorities must monitor the microbiological
quality of drinking-water closely.
Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
Good Ventilation of the environment

15. Specific prevention
 Equitable access to vaccination is of prime importance and is
one of the objectives of the European Vaccine Action Plan
2015–2020.
 WHO recommendation to introduce universal Hepatitis
vaccination of newborns, which is the most effective way to
prevent mother-to-child transmission.
 WHO recommend voluntary screening of refugee and migrant
populations for diseases such as hepatitis, TB, AIDS.
 WHO supports policies to provide HIV testing, prevention and
treatment services irrespective of legal status.

16. 2-Minimum standards for refugees and
migrants with non communicable diseases
(NCDs)
 Identify individuals with NCDs to ensure continuing access to the
treatment they were receiving before their travel.
 Ensure treatment of people with acute, life-threatening exacerbation
and complications of NCDs.
 Establish clear standard operating procedures for referral.
 Ensure that essential diagnostic equipment, core laboratory tests and
medication for routine management of NCDs are available in the
primary health care system.


17. Thank you