This issue of the Bulletin features publications focusing on migration data, migration health research priorities, and infectious diseases including tuberculosis and COVID-19.

The audio podcast episode centers on the key findings from an IOM study, conducted in collaboration with FIND and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of three commercially available computer-aided detection systems for detecting tuberculosis.

The issue of the Bulletin features publications on migration, zoonoses, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, mental health, among others.

The audio podcast episode discusses the importance of the inclusion of migrants into policies and actions towards zoonotic disease prevention and control as well as outlines guidance on the integration of migration into health interventions.

Surveillance is a pillar of the public health response to epidemics and pandemics. Yet, gaps in surveillance, from the local to the global, continue to leave the world vulnerable to infectious hazards. To address these vulnerabilities, the health emergency preparedness, response, and resilience (HEPR) architecture calls for a new approach to future surveillance - collaborative surveillance - that aligns traditional tactics with new initiatives to safeguard health for all.

Abstract: North-west Syria (NWS) is a conflict-affected and unstable area. Due to its limited health infrastructure, accessing advanced COVID-19 testing services is challenging. COVID-19 antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) have the potential to overcome this barrier. A pilot project was implemented to introduce Ag-RDTs in NWS, aiming to determine the feasibility, uptake, and results of Ag-RDTs and identify facilitators and barriers to testing with Ag-RDTs.

Populations affected by emergencies are continually at risk of outbreaks of epidemic-prone diseases and other public health hazards. This operational guidance aims to guide decision-making on when and how to implement and strengthen Early Warning Alert and Response (EWAR) in preparation for and response to emergencies. Each module aims to provide updated operational guidance for EWAR practices, which may be more easily understood and applied during emergencies. Through its application, this operational guidance aims to contribute to:

The issue of the Bulletin features articles, reports, and technical briefs focusing on migrants’ access to healthcare information and services, health impacts of air pollution, as well as syndromic screening, and disease surveillance.

The audio podcast episode outlines the findings of a desk review to determine the rights of migrants to access healthcare services in the 16 Southern African Development Community Member States as well as an overview of the health challenges faced by international migrant workers globally.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, some countries have been performing syndromic screening of travellers who cross land borders.  Methods include screening for fever and respiratory or other symptoms, observation and completion of health declaration forms. Communities neighbouring land borders are often very closely connected by economic and social activities and family ties and many travellers cross land borders daily or more.

The 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in Guinea revealed systematic weaknesses in the existing disease surveillance system, which contributed to delayed detection, underreporting of cases, widespread transmission in Guinea and cross-border transmission to neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia, leading to the largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded. Efforts to understand the epidemic's scale and distribution were hindered by problems with data completeness, accuracy, and reliability.

This study aimed to assess the status of IHR (2005) core capacity requirements at the designated ground crossings in Nepal in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative assessment was carried out at PoEs after preliminary assessment of 11 GCPs conducted by IOM jointly with the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Nepal. A total of 17 field researchers were mobilized for data collection at these GCPs from 11-14 December 2020.

In line with the Global Health Security Agenda and the 2005 International Health Regulations, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is working with stakeholders and partners globally to rapidly detect and respond to disease outbreaks, with an approach anchored in an in-depth understanding of human mobility dynamics.