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.
Targeting COVID-19 interventions towards migrants in humanitarian settings
Author/s: Sally Hargreaves, Dominik Zenner, Kolitha Wickramage, Anna Deal, Sally E Hayward
Millions of refugees and migrants reside in countries devastated by protracted conflicts with weakened health systems, and in countries where they are forced to live in substandard conditions in camps and compounds, and high-density slum settings. Although many such settings have yet to feel the full impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic is now having an unprecedented impact on mobility, in terms of border and migration management, as well as on the health, social, and…
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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…
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Airport Entry and Exit Screening during the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Sierra Leone, 2014 to 2016
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage
We present entry and exit screening outcomes on all persons passing through Freetown International Airport (FNA) in Sierra Leone during the period 1st September 2014 to 4th February 2016. A total of 166,242 persons underwent screening for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) at FNA. Five persons were denied air travel from Sierra Leone after secondary screening. Laboratory testing revealed none were positive for EVD. No cases were identified through entry screening route. The public health value of…
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Infectious disease testing of UK-bound refugees: a population-based, cross-sectional study
Author/s: Alison Crawshaw, Manish Pareek, John Were, Steffen Schillinger, Olga Gorbacheva, Kolitha Wickramage, Sema Mandal, Valerie Delpech, Noel Gill, Hilary Kirkbride, Dominik Zenner
Background
The UK, like a number of other countries, has a refugee resettlement programme. External factors, such as higher prevalence of infectious diseases in the country of origin and circumstances of travel, are likely to increase the infectious disease risk of refugees, but published data is scarce. The International Organization for Migration carries out and collates data on standardised pre-entry health assessments (HA), including…
Missing: Where Are the Migrants in Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plans?
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Lawrence Gostin, Eric Friedman, Phusit Prakongsai, Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, Charles Hui, Patrick Duigan, Eliana Barragan, David Harper
Is Sri Lanka prepared for yellow fever outbreaks? A case study
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Suneth B Agampodi, Davide Mosca, Sharika Peiris
Can migration health assessments become a mechanism for global public health good?
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Davide Mosca
Abstract: Migrant health assessments (HAs) consist of a medical examination to assess a migrant’s health status and to provide medical clearance for work or residency based on conditions defined by the destination country and/or employer. We argue that better linkages between health systems and migrant HA processors at the country level are needed to shift these from being limited as an instrument of determining non-admissibility for purposes of visa issuance, to a process…
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“Don’t forget the migrants”: Exploring preparedness and response strategies to combat the potential spread of MERS-CoV virus through migrant workers in Sri Lanka
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Sharika Peiris, Suneth Agampodi
Is there a risk of yellow fever virus transmission in South Asian countries with hyperendemic dengue?
Author/s: Suneth Agampodi, Kolitha Wickramage
The fact that yellow fever (YF) has never occurred in Asia remains an "unsolved mystery" in global health. Most countries in Asia with high Aedes aegypti mosquito density are considered "receptive" for YF transmission. Recently, health officials in Sri Lanka issued a public health alert on the potential spread of YF from a migrant group from West Africa. We performed an extensive review of literature pertaining to the risk of YF in Sri Lanka/South Asian region to…
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Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in a foreign resident visa holder and implications of a growing inbound migrant flow to Sri Lanka
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, S Samaraweera, Sharika Peiris, J Elvitigala, ATND Patabendige
Abstract We present a case of an international labour migrant worker from India who acquired multiple-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) as a result of poor treatment compliance throughout his work and travel history. The travel to Sri Lanka was made under the resident visa scheme. Currently there are no mandatory health assessment requirements for inbound migrants such as resident visa holders to Sri Lanka. The diagnosis of MDR-TB was made at a district level chest…
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