The aim of this study was to evaluate the data on the main imported infectious diseases and public health issues arising from the risk of transmission of tropical and common diseases in the immigrant population. During the period of study, 2,426 immigrants were attended in the Tropical Medicine Unit of the Hospital of Poniente. For each patient, a complete screening for common and tropical diseases was performed. The prevalence and main features of intestinal and urinary parasites, microfilarias, Chagas disease, malaria, hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses, extrapulmonary tuberculosis and syphilis was investigated taking into account the length of stay in Spain. Sub-Saharan Africa patients who had lived for <3 years in Spain had a high significantly number of infections produced by hookworms, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Schistosoma mansoni, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and Plasmodium spp. In patients who had lived for more than 3 years, there were significantly high rates of HBV infections, although HBV rates in sub-Saharan African patients are high even if the patients have been in Spain for <3 years. However, patients with large stays in Spain had also an important number of parasitological diseases. The main objective of the diagnosis is to avoid important public health problems and further complications in patients. It is advisable to carry out a screening of the main transmissible infections in all immigrant population regardless of the time outside their country. This screening should be individualized according to the geographical area of origin.

In a screening program, we detected submicroscopic malaria in 8.9% of recent migrants to Spain from sub-Saharan Africa. Hemoglobinopathies and filarial infection occurred more frequently in newly arrived migrants with submicroscopic malaria than in those without. Our findings could justify systematic screening in immigrants and recent travelers from malaria-endemic areas.

No abstract

Filariasis is still an endemic disease in several countries worldwide. Patients with mansonellosis result in only relatively mild symptoms, but these infections could produce many visits to health care providers. In Spain, this infection is imported due to the increase of immigrant population reaching our country during last years. The health area of the Hospital of Poniente has a rate of immigrants around to 20%, with a high percentage coming from sub-Saharan countries, being Mansonella perstans the main filarial infection in the majority of cases. In the protocol for the immigrants, it has been included the diagnosis of filarial infections in order to treat them. This manuscript describes epidemiological and clinical aspects of patients with this kind of infection.