Publications Search
This publications portal is a repository of all IOM migration health publications from 2006 to present where IOM was a primary contributor.
Publications include peer-reviewed scientific papers, technical reports, training guides/manuals, policy briefs/discussion papers, factsheets, newsletters, research reviews, conference and poster presentations. These are categorized by topic, author, country/region covered as well as by year, language, and type of publication. The map reflects the countries covered by the publications.
To browse or search: simply use the filter options on the left-hand side. Alternatively, you can enter keyword/s in the search box. Selecting a specific publication will lead to a ‘download’ link or link to the website where the document is housed. Here is the step-by-step guide for your reference.
Examining post-conflict stressors in northern Sri Lanka: A qualitative study
Author/s: Fiona C. Thomas, Malasha D’souza, Olivia Magwood, Dusharani Thilakanathan, Viththiya Sukumar, Shannon Doherty, Giselle Dass, Tae Hart, Sambasivamoorthy Sivayokan, Kolitha Wickramage, Sivalingam Kirupakaran, Kelly McShane
Forcibly displaced individuals typically encounter daily stressors, which can negatively impact mental health above and beyond direct exposure to war-related violence, trauma, and loss. Understanding the perspectives of war-affected communities regarding daily stressors can enhance the integration of mental health into local primary care. The aim of the current study was to explore how daily stressors are conceptualized in a post-conflict setting. Data collection was completed with 53 adult…
Read moreDisplacement-related stressors in a Sri Lankan war-affected community: Identifying the impact of war exposure and ongoing stressors on trauma symptom severity
Author/s: Fiona C. Thomas, Simon Coulombe, Todd A. Girard, Tae L. Hart, Shannon Doherty, Giselle Dass, Kolitha Wickramage, Chesmal Siriwardhana, Rajendra Surenthirakumaran, Kelly McShane
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a shift in the literature towards identifying how ongoing stress adversely affects mental health beyond the effect of direct exposure to war-related violence. The goal of the current study was to investigate the relationship between displacement-related stressors and trauma symptom severity. Participants (N = 1015) were recruited from primary healthcare clinics (PHCs) in Northern Sri Lanka and completed a demographic and displacement…
COVID-19 testing acceptability and uptake amongst the Rohingya and host community in Camp 21, Teknaf, Bangladesh
Author/s: Catherine R. McGowan, Nora Hellman, Sayem Chowdhury, Abdul Mannan, Katherine Newell, Rachael Cummings
Abstract
Facility-based sentinel testing for COVID-19 was implemented in May 2020 to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 amongst the Rohingya and host community in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. In response both to low uptake of testing across all camps, and rumours of an outbreak of an influenza-like illness in May/June 2020, the International Organization for Migration (in partnership with ACAPS) undertook a qualitative study to collect accounts from the Rohingya relating to…
Neglect of low-income migrants in COVID-19 response
Author/s: Anuj Kapilashrami, Anns Issac, Jeevan Sharma, Kolitha Wickramage, Ekatha Ann John, Divya Ravindranath, Roomi Aziz, Patrick Duigan
South Asia, home to around a quarter of the world’s population and 40% of the world’s poor, is being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The global response to the pandemic has focused mainly on containment of the contagion and “flattening the curve” through testing and strict social distancing, but these universal approaches fail to take account of resource limitations in countries in South Asia and ignore the realities of vulnerable populations, such as low-income migrants, internally…
Read moreImpact of enhanced health interventions for United States–bound refugees: Evaluating best practices in migration health
Author/s: Tarissa Mitchell, Deborah Lee, Michelle Weinberg, Christina Phares, Nicola James, Kittisak Amornpaisarnloet, Lalita Aumpipat, Gretchen Cooley, Anita Davies, Valerie Daw Tin Shwe, Vasil Gajdadziev, Olga Gorbacheva, Chutharat Khwan-Niam, Alexander Klosovsky, Waritorn Madilokkowit, Diana Martin, Naing Zaw Htun Myint, Thi Ngoc Yen Nguyen, Thomas Nutman, Elise O’Connell, Luis Ortega, Sugunya Prayadsab, Chetdanai Srimanee, Wasant Supakunatom, Vattanachai Vesessmith, William Stauffer
With an unprecedented number of displaced persons worldwide, strategies for improving the health of migrating populations are critical. United States–bound refugees undergo a required overseas medical examination to identify inadmissible conditions (e.g., tuberculosis) 2–6 months before resettlement, but it is limited in scope and may miss important, preventable infectious, chronic, or nutritional causes of morbidity. We sought to evaluate the feasibility and health impact…
Read moreMental distress and potentially modifiable social factors in post-conflict Sri Lanka
Author/s: Chesmal Siriwardhana, Kolitha Wickramage
The number of people affected by protracted conflicts is surging, especially in North Africa, the Middle East, and eastern Europe, leading to large-scale population displacements. Conflict-related violence and displacement have a direct association with mental health problems.For example, in Sri Lanka—a country emerging from three decades of civil conflict—populations are showing substantial negative mental health consequences of conflict, such as depression,…
Read moreEconomic Analysis of the Impact of Overseas and Domestic Treatment and Screening Options for Intestinal Helminth Infection among US-Bound Refugees from Asia
Author/s: Brian Maskery, Margaret S. Coleman, Michelle Weinberg, Weigong Zhou, Lisa Rotz, Alexander Klosovsky, Paul T. Cantey, LeAnne M. Fox, Martin S. Cetron, William M. Stauffer
BACKGROUND: Many U.S.-bound refugees travel from countries where intestinal parasites (hookworm, Trichuris trichuria, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Strongyloides stercoralis) are endemic. These infections are rare in the United States and may be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, leading to potentially serious consequences. This evaluation examined the costs and benefits of combinations of overseas presumptive treatment of parasitic diseases vs. domestic screening/treating vs. no program.
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Read moreResults from early programmatic implementation of Xpert MTB/RIF testing in nine countries
Author/s: Jacob Creswell, Andrew Collins, Emmanuel Andre, Mark Micek, Ahmed Bedru, E Jane Carter, Rajendra-Prasa Yadav, Andrei Mosneaga, Bishwa Raj, Sayera Banu, Miranda Brouwer, Lucie Blok, Suvanand Sahu, Lucica Ditiu
Background: The Xpert MTB/RIF assay has garnered significant interest as a sensitive and rapid diagnostic tool to improve detection of sensitive and drug resistant tuberculosis. However, most existing literature has described the performance of MTB/RIF testing only in study conditions; little information is available on its use in routine case finding. TB REACH is a multi-country initiative focusing on innovative ways to improve case notification.
Tuberculosis Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Bhutanese Refugees
Author/s: IOM Nepal
Tuberculosis is common in the UNHCR Bhutanese refugee camps. The IOM has identified that refugees who are not actively screened for TB through third country resettlement protocols have sputum smears with increased infectiousness. This suggests that refugees waited a prolonged period of time between the onset of symptoms and the start of treatment. This increases the risk of transmission to others due to higher levels of bacteria in the sputum and longer periods of exposure. Delay in seeking…
Read moreVaricella (Chickenpox) outbreak in Bhutanese refugee camps in Eastern Nepal
Author/s: Anit Mishra, Olga Gorbacheva, MMT Hasan, N Rimal
Approximately 100,000 Bhutanese refugees live in seven camps in southeastern Nepal. For those offered resettlement to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, or Netherlands, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Nepal conducts medical screening and arranges travel, moving up to 15,000 refugees annually. Varicella spreads primarily by airborne droplets and patients with infectious varicella are prohibited from the air travel. Varicella…
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