Screening for infectious diseases among asylum seekers newly arrived in Germany in 2015: a systematic single-centre analysis

Kortas, A.Z.; Polenz, J.; Hayek, J.; Rüdiger, S; Rottbauer, Wolfgang; Storr, U.; Wibmer, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2017.07.011

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Recent analysis of the health status and disease burden of unaccompanied asylum-seeking adolescents in Germany (cross-sectional pilot study) showed the highest prevalence of infestation in sub-Saharan Africans (86.7%), including the highest prevalence of parasites in general (46.7%), with a higher disease burden among females ( 25 ). Similar results were obtained by Kortas et al, who found a total of 47.7% of the subjects with scabies infestations originated from Afghanistan and 25.0% from Eritrea ( 26 ). Consequently, there is a need for thorough medical and psychological screenings after the arrival of such individuals in order to reduce the individual disease burden and risk of infestation for others.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

An increasing scabies incidence in Croatia: A call for coordinated action among dermatologists, physicians and epidemiologists

Lugović-Mihić

Aždajić

Filipović

et al. 2020

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionThe aim of our study was to examine the scabies incidence in the Croatian population and to analyse potential related factors.MethodsThis mixed ecological study is based on a retrospective medical record review. National data from communicable disease reports was sourced and analysed for an 11-year period (2007-2017), with more focus on the period 2014-2017. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate trends. Differences between the groups were studied using Chi-square test and Kendall’s tau (τ) correlation coefficient. Levels of significance were set at p<0.05 or p<0.01.ResultsFrom 2007 to 2017, scabies infestation in Croatia increased by 6-fold, particularly affecting children and young adults (19 years or younger). In the period 2014-2017, border counties which are part of migration flows were the counties with the highest average scabies incidences. A linear trend of increase in the number of tourists, immigrants and scabies infestations was noted on the national level for the analysed period, although a significant association was not observed. Regarding outbreaks of scabies within institutions, more than 80% of outbreaks occurred in institutions for adults. In the capital, Zagreb, the crude incidence rate increased 3-fold between 2014 and 2017.ConclusionsThe increased incidence of scabies, large disparities between counties, and prolonged outbreaks within families due to under-recognition and misdiagnoses points to a need for increased awareness among health practitioners. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first recent epidemiologic analysis on this topic, not only in Croatia but within the wider geographic region as well.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

An increasing scabies incidence in Croatia: A call for coordinated action among dermatologists, physicians and epidemiologists

Lugović-Mihić

Aždajić

Filipović

et al. 2020

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…TB testing results among refugees have been highly variable. Active TB yields for German-bound Syrian asylum seekers range between 93 and 153 per 100,000 [ 27 , 28 ], with some authors estimating significantly higher estimates [ 29 ]. However, other countries found significantly lower yields, as illustrated by the Dutch (22 per 100,000) [ 30 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infectious disease testing of UK-bound refugees: a population-based, cross-sectional study

Crawshaw

Pareek

Were

et al. 2018

BMC Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe UK, like a number of other countries, has a refugee resettlement programme. External factors, such as higher prevalence of infectious diseases in the country of origin and circumstances of travel, are likely to increase the infectious disease risk of refugees, but published data is scarce. The International Organization for Migration carries out and collates data on standardised pre-entry health assessments (HA), including testing for infectious diseases, on all UK refugee applicants as part of the resettlement programme. From this data, we report the yield of selected infectious diseases (tuberculosis (TB), HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C) and key risk factors with the aim of informing public health policy.MethodsWe examined a large cohort of refugees (n = 18,418) who underwent a comprehensive pre-entry HA between March 2013 and August 2017. We calculated yields of infectious diseases stratified by nationality and compared these with published (mostly WHO) estimates. We assessed factors associated with case positivity in univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe number of refugees included in the analysis varied by disease (range 8506–9759). Overall yields were notably high for hepatitis B (188 cases; 2.04%, 95% CI 1.77–2.35%), while yields were below 1% for active TB (9 cases; 92 per 100,000, 48–177), HIV (31 cases; 0.4%, 0.3–0.5%), syphilis (23 cases; 0.24%, 0.15–0.36%) and hepatitis C (38 cases; 0.41%, 0.30–0.57%), and varied widely by nationality. In multivariable analysis, sub-Saharan African nationality was a risk factor for several infections (HIV: OR 51.72, 20.67–129.39; syphilis: OR 4.24, 1.21–24.82; hepatitis B: OR 4.37, 2.91–6.41). Hepatitis B (OR 2.23, 1.05–4.76) and hepatitis C (OR 5.19, 1.70–15.88) were associated with history of blood transfusion. Syphilis (OR 3.27, 1.07–9.95) was associated with history of torture, whereas HIV (OR 1521.54, 342.76–6754.23) and hepatitis B (OR 7.65, 2.33–25.18) were associated with sexually transmitted infection. Syphilis was associated with HIV (OR 10.27, 1.30–81.40).ConclusionsTesting refugees in an overseas setting through a systematic HA identified patients with a range of infectious diseases. Our results reflect similar patterns found in other programmes and indicate that the yields for infectious diseases vary by region and nationality. This information may help in designing a more targeted approach to testing, which has already started in the UK programme. Further work is needed to refine how best to identify infections in refugees, taking these factors into account.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12916-018-1125-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

“…There have been several systematic reviews addressing how effective are approaches to migrant screening infectious diseases in Europe [31,32,33], however parasitic infections are not adequately covered. Therefore, given the recent increase in migrants to the EU/EEA from endemic countries, there is a need for public health guidelines on the optimal approach to screening for schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis [34,35,36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Screening and Treatment Approaches for Schistosomiasis and Strongyloidiasis in Newly-Arrived Migrants from Endemic Countries in the EU/EEA: A Systematic Review

Agbata

Morton

Bisoffi

et al. 2018

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We aimed to evaluate the evidence on screening and treatment for two parasitic infections—schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis—among migrants from endemic countries arriving in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA). We conducted a systematic search of multiple databases to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 1 January 1993 and 30 May 2016 presenting evidence on diagnostic and treatment efficacy and cost-effectiveness. We conducted additional systematic search for individual studies published between 2010 and 2017. We assessed the methodological quality of reviews and studies using the AMSTAR, Newcastle–Ottawa Scale and QUADAS-II tools. Study synthesis and assessment of the certainty of the evidence was performed using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach. We included 28 systematic reviews and individual studies in this review. The GRADE certainty of evidence was low for the effectiveness of screening techniques and moderate to high for treatment efficacy. Antibody-detecting serological tests are the most effective screening tests for detection of both schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis in low-endemicity settings, because they have higher sensitivity than conventional parasitological methods. Short courses of praziquantel and ivermectin were safe and highly effective and cost-effective in treating schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis, respectively. Economic modelling suggests presumptive single-dose treatment of strongyloidiasis with ivermectin for all migrants is likely cost-effective, but feasibility of this strategy has yet to be demonstrated in clinical studies. The evidence supports screening and treatment for schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis in migrants from endemic countries, to reduce morbidity and mortality.

show abstract

Screening for infectious diseases among asylum seekers newly arrived in Germany in 2015: a systematic single-centre analysis

Cited by 26 publications

References 13 publications

An increasing scabies incidence in Croatia: A call for coordinated action among dermatologists, physicians and epidemiologists

An increasing scabies incidence in Croatia: A call for coordinated action among dermatologists, physicians and epidemiologists

Infectious disease testing of UK-bound refugees: a population-based, cross-sectional study

Effectiveness of Screening and Treatment Approaches for Schistosomiasis and Strongyloidiasis in Newly-Arrived Migrants from Endemic Countries in the EU/EEA: A Systematic Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About