Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Feb 4;22(1):227.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-12646-7.

Infectious disease surveillance for refugees at borders and in destination countries: a scoping review

Majd Saleh  1 , Zeina Farah  2 , Natasha Howard  3   4
Affiliations

Infectious disease surveillance for refugees at borders and in destination countries: a scoping review

Majd Saleh et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Data on infectious disease surveillance for migrants on arrival and in destination countries are limited, despite global migration increases, and more are needed to inform national surveillance policies. Our study aimed to examine the scope of existing literature including existing infectious disease surveillance activities, surveillance methods used, surveillance policies or protocols, and potential lessons reported.

Methods: Using Arksey and O'Malley's six-stage approach, we screened four scientific databases systematically and 11 websites, Google, and Google Scholar purposively using search terms related to 'refugee' and 'infectious disease surveillance' with no restrictions on time-period or country. Title/abstracts and full texts were screened against eligibility criteria and extracted data were synthesised thematically.

Results: We included 20 eligible sources of 728 identified. Reporting countries were primarily European and all were published between 1999 and 2019. Surveillance methods included 9 sources on syndromic surveillance, 2 on Early Warning and Response (EWAR), 1 on cross-border surveillance, and 1 on GeoSentinel clinic surveillance. Only 7 sources mentioned existing surveillance protocols and communication with reporting sites, while policies around surveillance were almost non-existent. Eleven included achievements such as improved partner collaboration, while 6 reported the lack of systematic approaches to surveillance.

Conclusion: This study identified minimal literature on infectious disease surveillance for migrants in transit and destination countries. We found significant gaps geographically and on surveillance policies and protocols. Countries receiving refugees could document and share disease surveillance methods and findings to fill these gaps and support other countries in improving disease surveillance.

Keywords: Infectious diseases; Migrants; Policies; Protocols; Refugees; Surveillance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Choi BCK. The Past , Present , and Future of Public Health Surveillance. Scientifica (Cairo). 2012;2012:26. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Thacker SB, Stroup DF. Origins and progress in surveillance systems. In: Nkuchia M. M’ikanatha, Ruth Lynfield CAVB and H de V, editor. Infectious Disease Surveillance. Blackwell Publishing Ltd; 2013. p. 21–31.
    1. Declich S, Carter AO. Public health surveillance: historical origins, methods and evaluation. Bull World Health Organ. 1994;72(5479):285–304. - PMC - PubMed
    1. WHO. Communicable disease surveillance and response systems - Guide to monitoring and evaluating [Internet]. Epidemic and pandemic alert and response. 2006. Available from: https://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/surveillance/WHO_CDS_EPR_...
    1. Wilken D, Baur X, Barbinova L, Preisser A, Meijer E, Rooyackers J, et al. What are the benefits of medical screening and surveillance? Eur Respir Rev. 2012;21(124):105–111. doi: 10.1183/09059180.00005011. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types