Migrants and refugees at higher risk of developing ill health than host populations, reveals first-ever WHO report on the health of displaced people in Europe

Migrants and refugees at higher risk of developing ill health than host populations, reveals first-ever WHO report on the health of displaced people in Europe

Migrants and refugees are likely to have good general health, but they can be at risk of falling sick in transition or while staying in receiving countries due to poor living conditions or adjustments in their lifestyle. This is the main conclusion of the first “Report on the health of refugees and migrants in the WHO European Region”, released by the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

“Today, political and social systems are struggling to rise to the challenge of responding to displacement and migration in a humane and positive way. This report is the first of its kind, and gives us a snapshot of the health of refugees and migrants in the WHO European Region, at a time when the migration phenomenon is expanding across the world,” says Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

The report summarizes the latest available evidence on the health of refugees and migrants in the WHO European Region – from a review of more than 13 000 documents – and the progress countries have made to promote their health. It was developed in partnership with the Italian National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP).

Read and download the report here.

Original source: WHO
Published on 21 January 2019