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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…

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…

“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…

100% TB treatment success is possible: Championing the International Organization for Migration (IOM) tuberculosis DOT and patient-centered care among refugees and other migrants undergoing pre-immigration medical examinations

A poster abstract prepared by IOM Kenya for the North American Refugee Health Conference in Oregon, USA, 7-9 June 2018. 

This poster won the “Best Scientific Poster, 2018 North American Refugee Health Conference." 

The study reviewed the characteristics of patients amd treatment outcome at IOM's Kenya TB DOT clinics from 2010 to 2016, including detection rates, diagnostic sputum status, drug susceptibiity test patterns and success rates. 

Evaluation of the Field Performance of ImmunoCard STAT!® Rapid Diagnostic Test for Rotavirus in Dadaab Refugee Camp and at the Kenya–Somalia Border

Rotavirus commonly causes diarrhea in children, leading to hospitalization and even death. Rapid diagnostic tests are feasible alternatives for determining rotavirus outbreaks in refugee camps that have inadequate laboratory capacity. We evaluated the field performance of ImmunoCard STAT!® Rotavirus (ICS-RV) in Dadaab Refugee Camp and at the Kenya–Somalia border. From May to December 2014, we prospectively enrolled children aged < 5 years hospitalized with acute…

Prevalence of and risk factors for active tuberculosis in migrants screened before entry to the UK: a population-based cross-sectional study

Background: An increasing number of countries with low incidence of tuberculosis have pre-entry screening programmes for migrants. We present the fi rst estimates of the prevalence of and risk factors for tuberculosis in migrants from 15 high-incidence countries screened before entry to the UK.

Methods: We did a population-based cross-sectional study of applicants for long-term visas who were screened for tuberculosis before entry to the UK in a…

Tuberculosis in migrants moving from high-incidence to low-incidence countries: a population-based cohort study of 519 955 migrants screened before entry to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis elimination in countries with a low incidence of the disease necessitates multiple interventions, including innovations in migrant screening. We examined a cohort of migrants screened for tuberculosis before entry to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and tracked the development of disease in this group after arrival.

METHODS: As part of a pilot pre-entry screening programme for tuberculosis in 15 countries with a high incidence of the disease, the…

Nutrition Surveillance Report (Issue No. 4, January–December 2013)

This report presents child growth and malnutrition status of refugee children examined by the IOM Health Assessment Programme at select locations namely Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. The report analyses prevalence of three key indicators for protein–energy malnutrition, namely, weight-for-height or wasting, height-for-age or stunting, and weight-for-age or underweight. Data for this analysis is generated from the…

The movement of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis across borders in East Africa needs a regional and global solution

Summary Points
• Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) and other deadly infectious diseases commonly occur in states suffering from political turmoil and armed conflict.
• The same conditions that promote MDR TB and other diseases often diminish the capacity of the public health system to address these needs, leading patients to seek care in other countries.
• In East Africa, a large number of patients from Somalia with MDR TB crossed the border to Kenya seeking…