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.

Displacement-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…

Immunisation status of UK-bound refugees between January, 2018, and October, 2019: a retrospective, population-based cross-sectional study
Author/s: Anna Deal, Sally E Hayward, Alison F Crawshaw, Lucy P Goldsmith, Charles Hui, Warren Dalal, Fatima Wurie, Mary-Ann Bautista, May Antonnette Lebanan, Sweetmavourneen Agan, Farah Amin Hassan, Kolitha Wickramage, Ines Campos-Matos, Sally Hargreaves
Summary
Background
WHO’s new Immunization Agenda 2030 places a focus on ensuring migrants and other marginalised groups are offered catch-up vaccinations across the life-course. Yet, it is not known to what extent specific groups, such as refugees, are immunised according to host country schedules, and the implications for policy and practice. We aimed to assess the immunisation coverage of UK-bound refugees undergoing International Organization for…

HIV among migrants in precarious circumstances in the EU and European Economic Area
Author/s: Christiana Nöstlinger, Theo Cosaert, Ella Van Landeghem, Jef Vanhamel, Gary Jones, Dominik Zenner, Jantine Jacobi, Teymur Noori, Anastasia Pharris, Alyna Smith, Rosalie Hayes, Elena Val Elisabeth Waagensen, Elena Vovc, Sarita Sehgal, Prof Marie Laga, Henk Van Renterghem
HIV epidemics in the EU and European Economic Area are increasingly diverse in transmission modes and groups affected. Substantial gaps in data exist on HIV burden and access to the HIV continuum of care among migrants living in this region, particularly individuals in precarious circumstances such as migrants with irregular status. Migrants have a higher HIV burden compared with the general population, and high rates of post-migration HIV acquisition. Migrants also face challenges in access…
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Diagnostic accuracy of three computer-aided detection systems for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis on chest radiography when used for screening: analysis of an international, multicenter migrants screening study
Author/s: Sifrash Meseret Gelaw, Sandra V. Kik, Morten Ruhwald, Stefano Ongarello, Tesfa Semagne Egzertegegne, Olga Gorbacheva, Christopher Gilpin, Nina Marano, Scott Lee, Christina R. Phares, Victoria Medina, Bhaskar Amatya, Claudia M. Denkinger
The aim of this study was to independently evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of three artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer aided detection (CAD) systems for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) on global migrants screening chest x-ray (CXR) cases.
Retrospective clinical data and CXR images were collected from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) pre-migration health assessment TB screening global database for US-bound migrants. A total of 2,812 participants were…
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Health and illness in migrants and refugees arriving in Europe: analysis of the electronic Personal Health Record system
Author/s: Dominik Zenner, Ana Requena Méndez, Steffen Schillinger, Elena Val, Kolitha Wickramage
Abstract
Background
The electronic Personal Health Record (ePHR) is a health information system that registers health data on newly arriving migrants and was implemented in eight European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia). This is a cross-sectional study aimed to describe the health problems and health status of all migrants attended at health clinics as part of the health assessment…

Epidemiological progression of COVID-19 positive cases among transnational truck drivers in the East African Region
Author/s: Michela Martini, Ayomide Sina-Odunsi, Jaqueline Jael Dache, Julius Wekesa, Tasiana Mzozo
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…
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When husband migrate: effects of international migration of husbands on fetal outcomes, body mass index and gestational weight of female spouses that stay behind
Author/s: Renuka Jayatissa, Kolitha Wickramage, Buddhini Herath Denuwara, Himali Herath, Ranbanda Jayawardana, Amila Gayan Perera, Nawamali De Alwis
Abstract
Background
International labour migration continues to be an integral component in Sri Lanka’s economic development. Previous research indicates an adverse perinatal outcome in association with low maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (PBMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG). However, evidence of this association is limited in migrant families. This study aims to investigate the associations between PBMI, GWG among lactating mothers (LM), and fetal outcomes…

Diagnostic accuracy of chest X-ray interpretation for tuberculosis by three artificial intelligence-based software in a screening use-case: an individual patient meta-analysis of global data
Author/s: Sandra V. Kik, Sifrash M. Gelaw, Morten Ruhwald, Rinn Song, Faiz Ahmad Khan, Rob van Hest, Violet Chihota, Nguyen Viet Nhung, Aliasgar Esmail, Anna Marie Celina Garfin, Guy B. Marks, Olga Gorbacheva, Onno W. Akkerman, Kgaugelo Moropane, Le Thi Ngoc Anh, Keertan Dheda, Greg J. Fox, Nina Marano, Knut Lönnroth, Frank Cobelens, Andrea Benedetti, Puneet Dewan, Stefano Ongarello, Claudia M. Denkinger
Abstract
Background
Chest X-ray (CXR) screening is a useful diagnostic tool to test individuals at high risk of tuberculosis (TB), yet image interpretation requires trained human readers who are in short supply in many high TB burden countries. Therefore, CXR interpretation by computer-aided detection software (CAD) may overcome some of these challenges, but evidence of its accuracy is still limited.
We established a CXR library with images and metadata from…
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Management of health information of Nepalese labour migrants
Author/s: Rajendra Karkee, Minani Gurung, Lisasha Poudel, Chiranjivi Baral, Pratik Adhikary, Radheshyam Krishan KC, Sundip Gurung, Vasil Gajdadziev, Patrick Duigan, Montira Inkochasan, Kolitha Prabhash Wickramage, Ganesh Gurung
Abstract
Introduction
The monitoring and improvement of the health of labour migrants (LMs) require sufficient health data to be recorded
and managed. In this context, this study was conducted to understand the management of health information of
Nepalese Labour Migrants (NLMs).
Methods
This is an explorative qualitative study. Stakeholders involved directly or indirectly in maintaining the health data of
NLMs were first mapped,…

‘It is a disease which comes and kills directly’: What refugees know about COVID-19 and key influences of compliance with preventive measures
Author/s: Adelaide M. Lusambili, Michela Martini, Faiza Abdirahaman, Asante Abena, Joseph N. Guni, Sharon Ochieng, Stanley Luchters
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…