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Boggild AK, Geduld J, Libman M, Yansouni CP, McCarthy AE, Hajek J, Ghesquiere W, Mirzanejad Y, Vincelette J, Kuhn S, Plourde PJ, Chakrabarti S, Greenaway C, Hamer DH, Kain KC. Spectrum of illness in migrants to Canada: sentinel surveillance through CanTravNet. J Travel Med 2019; 26:5159662. [PMID: 30395252 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/tay117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Due to ongoing political instability and conflict in many parts of the world, migrants are increasingly seeking asylum and refuge in Canada. METHODS We examined demographic and travel correlates of illnesses among migrants to Canada to establish a detailed epidemiologic framework of this population for Canadian practitioners. Data on ill-returned Canadian travellers presenting to a CanTravNet site between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2015 were analyzed. RESULTS During the study period, 2415 ill travellers and migrants presented to a CanTravNet site, and of those, 519 (21.5%) travelled for the purpose of migration. Sub-Saharan Africa (n = 160, 30.8%), southeast Asia (n = 84, 16.2%) and south central Asia (n = 75, 14.5%) were the most common source regions for migrants, while the top specific source countries, of 98 represented, were the Philippines (n = 45, 8.7%), China (n = 36, 6.9%) and Vietnam (n = 31, 6.0%). Compared with non-migrant travellers, migrants were more likely to have a pre-existing immunocompromising medical condition, such as HIV or diabetes mellitus (P < 0.0001), and to require inpatient management of their illness (P < 0.0001). Diagnoses such as tuberculosis (n = 263, 50.7%), hepatitis B and C (n = 78, 15%) and HIV (n = 11, 2.1%) were over-represented in the migrant population compared with non-migrant travellers (P < 0.0001). Most cases of tuberculosis in the migrant population (n = 263) were latent (82% [n = 216]); only 18% (n = 47) were active. CONCLUSIONS Compared with non-migrant travellers, migrants were more likely to present with a communicable infectious disease, such as tuberculosis, potentially complicated by an underlying immunosuppressing condition such as HIV. These differences highlight the divergent healthcare needs in the migrant population, and underscore the importance of surveillance programmes to understand their burden of illness. Intake programming should be adequately resourced to accommodate the medical needs of this vulnerable population of new Canadians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea K Boggild
- Tropical Disease Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University Health Network and the University of Toronto, Toronto ON, Canada.,Public Health Ontario Laboratories, Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer Geduld
- Office of Border and Travel Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Libman
- The J.D. MacLean Centre for Tropical Diseases, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Cedric P Yansouni
- The J.D. MacLean Centre for Tropical Diseases, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Anne E McCarthy
- Tropical Medicine and International Health Clinic, Division of Infectious Diseases, Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON, Canada
| | - Jan Hajek
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver British Columbia, Canada
| | - Wayne Ghesquiere
- Infectious Diseases, Vancouver Island Health Authority, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Yazdan Mirzanejad
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver British Columbia, Canada.,Fraser Health, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jean Vincelette
- Hôpital Saint-Luc du CHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Susan Kuhn
- Section of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, Alberta Children's Hospital and the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Pierre J Plourde
- Travel Health and Tropical Medicine Services, Population and Public Health Program, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Sumontra Chakrabarti
- Tropical Disease Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University Health Network and the University of Toronto, Toronto ON, Canada.,Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Christina Greenaway
- The J.D. MacLean Centre for Tropical Diseases, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Davidson H Hamer
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kevin C Kain
- Tropical Disease Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University Health Network and the University of Toronto, Toronto ON, Canada.,SAR Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, Toronto, ON Canada
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