Populations in transition and post-settlement: an infectious diseases and travel medicine perspective

Abstract

There is mounting evidence that the mass population movements associated with the current global refugee and asylum seeker crisis have profound infectious diseases consequences. Key contributory factors identified include disruption of health systems building blocks, malnutrition, inadequate housing, and poverty. A literature review informs the content of this chapter, using recent examples to illustrate principles such as the decline in vaccination rates among refugees and asylum seekers and outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses; the observed increased risk of tuberculosis in RAS populations; clustering of emerging infectious diseases in conflict zones; and transportation of arthropod vectors leading to emergence of disease in new geographical zones. A final section covers communicable disease assessments after settlement, identifying key barriers and enablers of best-practice care.