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.
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…
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…
Health and Illness in Newly Arrived Migrants and Refugees Arriving at Europe's Shores: Analysis of the Electronic Personal Health Record System in Seven Countries
Author/s: Dominik Zenner, Ana Requena-Méndez, Steffen Schillinger, Elena Val, Kolitha Wickramage
Background: The electronic Personal Health (ePHR) Record is a health information system for newly arriving migrants that has been implemented in seven European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Serbia and Slovenia). This is a cross-sectional study of all migrants who attended as part of the health assessment programme established in the reception centres between 2016 and 2019 that provides a comprehensive overview of illness and health in the migrant cohort.…
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Assessing the Health of Persons Experiencing Forced Migration: Current Practices for Health Service Organisations. In: Bozorgmehr K., Roberts B., Razum O., Biddle L. (eds) Health Policy and Systems Responses to Forced Migration
Author/s: Dominik Zenner, Kolitha Wickramage, Ursula Trummer, Kevin Pottie, Chuck Hui
This chapter looks at the current evidence and practice of health assessments amongst persons, who experienced forced migration, including asylum seekers and refugees. It places health assessments into its historical context and outlines national and international frameworks relevant to these. The main body of the chapter reviews the current practice in health assessments alongside the policy framework and evidence and provides specific examples from countries. Doing so, it also outlines…
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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…
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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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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Irregular migration as a potential source of malaria reintroduction in Sri Lanka and use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests at point-of-entry screening
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Gawrie Galappaththy, D Dayarathne, Sharike Peiris, Rajeeka Basnayake, Davide Mosca, Jan Jacobs
Background. We describe an irregular migrant who returned to Sri Lanka after a failed people smuggling operation from West Africa. Results. On-arrival screening by Anti-Malaria Campaign (AMC) officers using a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) (CareStart Malaria HRP2/PLDH) indicated a negative result. On day 3 after arrival, he presented with fever and chills but was managed as dengue (which is hyperendemic in Sri Lanka). Only on day 7, diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum…
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Malaria burden in irregular migrants returning to Sri Lanka from human smuggling operations in West Africa and implications for a country reaching malaria elimination
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Gawrie Galappaththy