Migrant Health
Once you are an immigrant, you never forget that you are one - Jorge Ramos
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image by: Via Scalabrini 3
Throughout the centuries, medicine was the profession of healing the sick, no matter the disease or the social context. Key diseases were identified and priorities were set for the well being of society, leading to diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy being aggressively tackled. With time, the priority areas of the medical community and the ones of the ill diverged and Rudolph Virchow attempted to keep the profession from becoming increasingly isolated from the population and the root causes of illness: “Medicine is a social science, and politics are nothing but medicine at a larger scale. Physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and social problems fall to a large extent within their jurisdiction”.
In today’s globalized world, not only do diseases know no borders but also, migration has become ubiquitous. People are moving in greater numbers, traveling greater distances at an unprecedented pace, thus producing a new paradigm of multiculturalism and diversity within countries. Migrants, regardless of the political, economical or environmental drivers of their movement, carry with them what we call at ICMHD their “health print”.
A Malian migrant settling in France will adapt to its environment relatively quickly and will even be subject to the host country’s specific health risk factors but the event of the migration does not erase this person’s past exposures to specific diseases and risk factors which he was subject to in Mali. Health professionals need to be aware of people’s migration history and take into account the impact of the risk factors and epidemiology of disease of the country of origin as well as the migration itself. Overlooking one’s migration history can lead to erroneous diagnosis and treatment as well as poor health outcomes.
Medical students need to be exposed to the actual burden of disease of the world we live in. Today’s reality is that tuberculosis and hepatitis B, for example, are not only diseases they will encounter on their electives abroad or even when working at an inner-city clinic with vulnerable groups. A perfectly healthy migrant arriving in Switzerland might not seem to be at risk of developing tuberculosis, but if one digs a bit deeper, we might discover that this individual lives in overcrowded housing with other migrants, and that they might be carriers of active tuberculosis. Or he may every year visit his family in a high-risk tuberculosis zone.
HIV in India is also a good example of the differential risk factors incurred with a particular history of migration. India has a very low HIV prevalence but is experiencing concentrated epidemics in towns where rural-to-urban migration is extensive. Among rural-to-urban migrant workers, the HIV prevalence is 10 to 20 times higher than the national average (National AIDS Control Organization, 2010). Would one think to screen a migrant worker from a rural area for HIV when HIV rates are much higher in urban settings?
To be a competent medical doctor, students need to approach the realities of migration – including its scope, magnitude, the implications for treatment and care, the effects on people’s integration in a host healthcare system and its impact on the epidemiology of disease – in a systematic and comprehensive manner. Migration is a complex and dynamic process and one can no longer predict the next major migration trend. For that reason that we believe at ICMHD that medical faculties need to include a Global Health component to their curriculum, both as an explicit course and by integrating such notions throughout the clinical rotations. Dr Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, stated very bluntly the need for more Global Health education in medical curriculums in a recent New York Times article: “A very down-to-earth reason is just if you practice in the U.K. the likelihood that you will have patients who come from other places is extremely high”.
Currently, medical students all over the world are being increasingly vocal about demanding Global Health educations and courses and, because of the general unresponsiveness of medical faculties to any demands in this field, they themselves are taking the lead and learning by themselves, peer-educating each other about Global Health and creating their own programs (see New York Times article).
Yet again medicine is at a crossroads. We can no longer dismiss the health needs of migrants, who now represent the 5th largest country in the world, or the vast impact migration has on the population. Medicine needs to reconnect with its roots and address the needs of the population, know effectively a global one.
Source: Alexandre Lefebvre, How the changing demography is rendering medical education obsolete, ICMHD's Blog, April 30, 2012.
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A Public Health Crisis at the Border
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A Way Out of the Immigration Crisis
The only answer to today’s polarized debate is amnesty for those already here, new standards for those seeking entry and a return to the ideal of the melting pot.
Barriers to health care for undocumented immigrants: a literature review
There are numerous and wide-ranging barriers to receipt of health care for undocumented immigrants. These barriers are not only legal in nature but also encompass challenges inherent in “undocumented” or illegal status. They include policy limitations, the fear of disclosure, and the lack of both social and financial assets.
Genetic Testing to Reunite Immigrant Families Raises Issues of Privacy and Consent
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GeoMedicine - OK, Maybe We Should Move!
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How American Citizens Finance $18.5 Billion In Health Care For Unauthorized Immigrants
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How American Citizens Finance $18.5 Billion In Health Care For Unauthorized Immigrants
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How Fear of Deportation Affects the Body
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How Trump’s travel ban threatens health care, in 3 charts
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Immigration makes America great
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Sick and Afraid, Some Immigrants Forgo Medical Care
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The family separation crisis is a health crisis
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The Health Toll of Immigration
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The Immigration Debate We Need
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The Roots of the Migration Crisis
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The scramble to reunite immigrant kids with their families is a case study in poor project management
Once children are identified, the agency says it is using DNA tests to confirm that the children are matched with the right parents. This, according to the government’s request for a deadline extension, is what’s delaying the whole procedure.
The Toxic Health Effects of Deportation Threat
The fear of immigration raids can harm children’s brains and health, potentially for life.
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Understanding Migration
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Why Has America Been Such a Magnet for Immigrant Scientists?
The answer lies in a culture that rewards excellence and has not historically imposed restrictions based on prior connections, social status, ethnicity or national origin.
How the changing demography is rendering medical education obsolete
In today’s globalized world, not only do diseases know no borders but also, migration has become ubiquitous. People are moving in greater numbers, traveling greater distances at an unprecedented pace, thus producing a new paradigm of multiculturalism and diversity within countries. Migrants, regardless of the political, economical or environmental drivers of their movement, carry with them what we call at ICMHD their “health print”.
International Centre for Migration, Health and Development
The International Centre for Migration, Health and Development is a Swiss-based non-profit institution that was established in 1995. Its mandate is to work on research, training and policy advocacy in all areas related to migration and health.
Migrant Clinicians Network
Migrant Clinicians Network is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that creates practical solutions at the intersection of poverty, migration, and health.
MigrantWorkerhealth.ca
Protect the hands that feed us.
Migration Data Portal
The Portal aims to serve as a unique access point to timely, comprehensive migration statistics and reliable information about migration data globally. The site is designed to help policy makers, national statistics officers, journalists and the general public interested in the field of migration to navigate the increasingly complex landscape of international migration data, currently scattered across different organisations and agencies.
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR) is a national organization composed of local coalitions and immigrant, refugee, community, religious, civil rights and labor organizations and activists. It serves as a forum to share information and analysis, to educate communities and the general public, and to develop and coordinate plans of action on important immigrant and refugee issues
Center for Immigration Studies
The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit, research organization. Since our founding in 1985, we have pursued a single mission – providing immigration policymakers, the academic community, news media, and concerned citizens with reliable information about the social, economic, environmental, security, and fiscal consequences of legal and illegal immigration into the United States.
Migration Policy Institute
The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide.
CDC
As a world leader in health promotion and disease prevention, CDC works with immigrant, refugee, and migrant groups to improve their health...
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Last Updated : Friday, March 26, 2021