Publications Search

Health and Reintegration. Returning to Space but not to Time: A life course approach to migrants’ health, continuity of care and impact on reintegration outcomes

This study was the result of a collaboration between the EU-IOM Knowledge Management Hub (KMH), with the financial support of the European Union (EU), in collaboration with Samuel Hall and the African Centre for Migration and Society at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

The main aim of this research was to explore the links between health needs, access to care, and sustainable reintegration of returnees. Within this, there were four main objectives that link the…

Planning and implementing a targeted polio vaccination campaign for Somali mobile populations in Northeastern Kenya based on migration and settlement patterns

Abstract
Supporting the global eradication of wildpoliovrisu (WPV), this project aimed to provide polio and measles vaccines to a population frequenty missed by immunization services and campaigns, ethnic Somali children living among mobile populations within Kenya's Northeastern Region. Additionally, nutritional support, albendazole (for treatment of intestinal parasites) and vitamin A were provided to improve children's health and in accordance with regional vaccination…

Action research report: Supporting behavioural change among at-risk inhabitants of Rumonge province, in Burundi, for climate change adaptation and disease prevention and response

This report highlights the methodologies, results and lessons learned from the project Enhancing Natural Disaster Preparedness and Response Capacity in at-Risk Communities in Burundi, funded by the IOM Development Fund and implemented by IOM Burundi between September 2019 and August 2021.

To enhance natural disaster preparedness and response in this the province of Rumonge in Burundi, the IOM Burundi Disaster Risk Reduction Department, Transition and Recovery Division, and Migration…

Epidemiological progression of COVID-19 positive cases among transnational truck drivers in the East African Region

COVID-19 triggered a range of border controls to curb the spread of the disease. Containment measures and restrictions were put in place to mitigate cross-border transmission while maintaining the flow of essential goods and services in the East and Horn of Africa Region. The first cases of COVID-19 detection among truck drivers, triggered and strengthened cross-border collaboration for detecting and responding to COVID-19 pandemic. Infection was significantly common among truck drivers in…

‘It is a disease which comes and kills directly’: What refugees know about COVID-19 and key influences of compliance with preventive measures

Abstract

Background
Refugees are at increased risk for COVID-19 infection in part due to their living conditions, which make it harder to adopt and adhere to widely accepted preventive measures. Little empirical evidence exists about what refugees know about COVID-19 and what they do to prevent infection. This study explored what refugee women and their health care workers understand about COVID-19 prevention, the extent of their compliance to public health…

WASH responses to COVID-19 in Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan

The humanitarian community has had to learn about COVID-19 while responding to this new disease. From the start it was known that basic hygiene practices, such as proper handwashing, could help prevent its transmission. However, many displacement settings do not have the required facilities for implementing household and community-level Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures. They may also have weak governance systems for managing and maintaining water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH…

Prevalence of Malaria Parasite Infections among U.S.-Bound Congolese Refugees with and without Splenomegaly

Abstract

All U.S.-bound refugees from sub-Saharan Africa receive presumptive antimalarial treatment before departing for the United States. Among U.S.-bound Congolese refugees, breakthrough malaria cases and persistent splenomegaly have been reported. In response, an enhanced malaria diagnostic program was instituted. Here, we report the prevalence of plasmodial infection among 803 U.S.-bound Congolese refugees who received enhanced diagnostics. Infections by either rapid…

South Sudan Social and Behavioural Strategy for HIV and AIDS Prevention, Care and Treatment 2018–2020

The South Sudan HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (2013–2017) and the National HIV Prevention Strategy (2015–2017) have highly prioritized behavioural change communication as part of the strategic prevention interventions to reduce new HIV infections. The South Sudan Modes of Transmission Study (South Sudan AIDS Commission, 2014) indicated that over 80 per cent of the new infections are due to sexual HIV transmission, central to which are levels of correct and comprehensive knowledge; individual,…

“We have a lot of home deliveries” A qualitative study on the impact of COVID-19 on access to and utilization of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health care among refugee women in urban Eastleigh, Kenya

Background
Little is known about how pregnant refugee women, and the frontline health care workers who serve them, are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of health, and health service access. Women refugees are classified as a vulnerable group with regard to pregnancy outcomes and access to maternal care and may be disproportionally at risk for COVID-19 infection as they are likely to face unique barriers to information and access to reproductive health services during…

Migration and health. In: Adepoju A., Fumagalli C., Nyabola N. (eds) Africa Migration Report: Challenging the narrative

The relationship between migration and health is explored, including resilience, vulnerability, and social determinants of health throughout the migration cycle. The chapter maintains that migration health governance should include the control of communicable diseases, health security, universal health coverage (UHC), and migration-responsive systems, which are all critical to health security, public health, and development. Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African Union’s…