Abstract
Objectives
Our study aimed at determining the prevalence of selected infectious diseases among recently arrived Eritrean refugees in Switzerland.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, asymptomatic Eritrean migrants aged ≥16 years who arrived <24 months ago were recruited at refugee centres in Switzerland. Infectious disease screening included serology for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and schistosomiasis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for malaria, stool microscopy for helminths and intestinal protozoa and circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) testing in urine for schistosomiasis.
Results
Among 107 participating Eritrean refugees, point-of-care CCA urine test for Schistosoma mansoni was positive in 43 patients (40.2%; 95% CI 31.9–49.5). Stool microscopy detected eggs of S. mansoni in 23 (21.5%; 95% CI 13.7–29.3), Hymenolepis nana in 11 (10.3%; 95% CI 4.5–16.0), and cysts of Giardia intestinalis in 7 participants (6.5%: 95% CI 1.9–11.2). Two tested positive for hepatitis B (1.9%; 95% CI 0.0–4.4) and one for syphilis (0.9%; 95% CI 0.0–2.8), none tested positive for HIV or hepatitis C. Malaria PCR was positive in six participants (5.6%; 95% CI: 1.2−9.9).
Conclusions
Given the high prevalence of S. mansoni infection and potentially severe long-term sequelae of untreated schistosomiasis, routine screening for schistosomiasis in refugees from Schistosoma-endemic regions should be recommended.
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(Source: UNHCR, accessed December 1, 2016 at: http://www.cfr.org/eritrea/authoritarianism-eritrea-migrant-crisis/p37239)
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The study protocol was approved by the institutional research commission of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH, Basel, Switzerland; reference no. FK 120; approval date: June 24, 2015) and the ethics committee of Northwest and Central Switzerland (reference no. EKNZ 2015-353; approval date: November 20, 2015). Participation was voluntary, and hence, people could withdraw from the study at any time without further obligations. Data were processed anonymously.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Chernet, A., Neumayr, A., Hatz, C. et al. Spectrum of infectious diseases among newly arrived Eritrean refugees in Switzerland: a cross-sectional study. Int J Public Health 63, 233–239 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-017-1034-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-017-1034-x