122. Migration and catastrophes, medical and occupational health considerations
From greek.doctor
General about migration
3,5% of the world population lives outside their home country
Legal migration
Healthy migrant effect = legal migrants are usually young and healthy people and therefore healthier than the population they migrate to
Illegal/irregular migration
Nearly half of migrants are hoping to find work
Migrants are essential to uphold the population in Europe as the fertility rate is low
Health considerations of immigration into EU
Most immigrants are from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.
The prevalence of certain diseases may be many times higher in the country of origin than the host country
TB, AIDS, etc.
Certain diseases from the country of origin may be much less common in the host country
This makes it less likely that physicians will recognize the disease
There will also be less experience in treating the disease
Certain diseases may manifest differently in different ethnicities
For example, varicella in blacks
Migrant reception centres are good places for outbreaks
Measles, pertussis, cholera, etc.
Due to under-immunization, poor hygiene, close contact, etc.
Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD)
Communicable diseases which are eradicated in the host country but not in the country of origin
Diphtheria, pertussis, measles, poliomyelitis, etc.
Some of the countries which are the only ones in the world with certain VPDs have large out-migration
For example, Sudan and Afghanistan have many cases of poliomyelitis
Due to anti-vaccination movements the vaccine coverage of certain diseases (especially measles) is poor in certain regions of the EU, providing good grounds for an outbreak
The vaccination coverage of many countries of origin is poor
HAV, HBV, polio
Vaccination of children of foreign nationality
Migrant children who stay in Hungary for more than 3 months should receive the outstanding, age-appropriate vaccinations according to the national schedule
Not all countries include migrants and refugees in their national immunization programmes
Health care workers should be completely immunized according to their national schedule
Upon entry, the migrants only undergo a brief ectoparasite screening before being placed in the community
Reception centre in Debrecen is an exception; they undergo more rigorous screening of STDs, HIV, salmonella, HBV, HCV, TB, etc.
Migrant and occupational health
Includes both occupational health issues of the migrant workforce and the occupation health of those working with migrants
Occupational health of those working with migrants
Department of Public Health at POTE has since 2013 conducted research in national migrant infrastructure and the occupational health of staff who work with migrants
40% of the study population are sometimes exposed to human samples (blood, urine, faeces) at work
35 – 50% of the study population experienced verbal violence regularly
50% of the study population said that they have poor awareness of symptoms of infectious disease
When asked about mode of transmission of certain infectious diseases, only 45% could answer more than 75% of the questions correctly
Occupational health of the migrant workforce
Migrant workers are subject to uncertainty, poor working conditions, low wages
They’re often overqualified for their low-skilled jobs
Migrants are overrepresented in low-wage, low-skill jobs
They have little knowledge of their employment rights
Migrant workers are overrepresented in industrial accidents and occupational diseases like hearing loss, silicosis, musculoskeletal disorders, etc.
An Italian journalist pretended to be a Romanian illegal worker in a tomato field in Italy
He had no water or electricity and lived in poor hygienic conditions
He worked 14 hours a day
Two men slept on one mattress on the floor
Men had to provide the boss a woman to screw in order to get a job
Prevention/improvement
Provide migrants with information on their employment rights
Protect the health and working conditions of migrants
Provide better integration of migrants and their families
