Infectious disease burden in migrant populations in the European Union and European Economic Area

Abstract

While migrants are often comparatively healthy, they can face specific health challenges. This article shows that certain migrant groups in the European Union and European Economic Area have a higher burden of some infectious diseases including HIV, TB and chronic hepatitis B than the native population. However, reaching strong conclusions on the burden of infectious diseases in migrant groups is challenging as few surveillance systems capture reliable data on migrant-specific variables. Surveillance systems across Europe should be strengthened and harmonised to address this evidence gap in order to aid the provision of appropriate health services.