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Alcohol use disorders among Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) among Myanmar male migrant workers (> 15 years) living in Mae Sot, Thailand, and their patterns of drinking.

Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 512 participants to measure AUDs and drinking patterns. ANOVA and χ2 analyses were performed to assess demographic differences between abstainers, harmful and hazardous drinkers (…

Addressing female genital mutilation in the Asia Pacific: the neglected sustainable development target

While much work has focused on advocacy and prevention efforts in countries of high prevalence in Africa and diaspora in Europe, there has been a paucity of discussion on FGM in the Asia‐Pacific region. FGM is practised in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines and Indonesia; however, none of these countries are supported by the UNFPA‐UNICEF Joint Programme on the Abandonment of FGM. Australia and New Zealand are also…

Access to health care for migrants in the Greater Mekong Subregion: policies and legal frameworks and their impact on malaria control in the context of malaria elimination

Abstract
The launch of the Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration in December 2018 marked the first-ever United Nations global agreement on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions. The global compact aims to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities migrants face at different stages of migration, by respecting, protecting and fulfilling their human rights and providing them with care and assistance. A key example of the…

Impact of enhanced health interventions for United States–bound refugees: Evaluating best practices in migration health

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…

Migration histories of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients from the Thailand-Myanmar border, 2012-2014

SETTING: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a growing public health threat in South-East Asia. TB is typically a disease of poverty and can be spread by infected humans who migrate from one region to another.

DESIGN: We interviewed 20 MDR-TB patients on the Thailand-Myanmar border with regard to their migration histories. Migration origins and destinations were mapped.

RESULTS: All but one participant had a history of migration, and maps of…

Population Mobility and Malaria: Review of International, Regional and National Policies and Legal Frameworks that Promote Migrants and Mobile Populations’ Access to Health and Malaria Services in the Greater Mekong Subregion

In order to provide an evidence-base and guidance for malaria programme managers at national level, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organization (WHO) and key stakeholders in the 5 countries, collaborated on this document to provide recommendations on the technical implementation and policy implications of addressing malaria for MMPs. A key part of this collaboration is the documentation and analysis of migration and health related laws…

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…

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…

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…

Health of men, women, and children in post-trafficking services in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam: an observational cross-sectional study

Summary

Background: Trafficking is a crime of global proportions involving extreme forms of exploitation and abuse. Yet little research has been done of the health risks and morbidity patterns for men, women, and children trafficked for various forms of forced labour.

Methods: We carried out face-to-face interviews with a consecutive sample of individuals entering 15 post-trafficking services in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. We asked participants about living and working…