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Global patterns of communicable disease risk and prevention in migrant populations: A systematic literature review
Anis Ben Brik1, Hamad Eid Al-Romaihi2, Maha Al-Shamali2
1Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, Institute of Communication and Public Policy, Universita della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland.
Objectives:
To identify key risk factors, disease patterns, and prevention interventions for communicable diseases among migrant populations.
Study Design:
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods:
Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we searched multiple databases for studies published 1990-2024. Random effects models estimated pooled odds ratios from 30 studies with quantitative data.
Results:
Among 14,250 participants, migration status doubled communicable disease odds (OR = 2.161, 95% CI 1.780-2.622, p < 0.001; I2 = 58.7%). Regional variation was significant for the Gulf Cooperation Council (OR = 2.89, 95% CI 2.34-3.57) and Sub-Saharan Africa (OR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.45-2.41), but not for Europe (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 0.98-1.83). Forced migration showed highest risk (OR = 2.87, 95% CI 2.23-3.69) versus economic migration (OR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.54-2.32).
Conclusions:
Migration constitutes a fundamental social determinant of communicable disease risk. Downstream interventions (treatment 86.8%, surveillance 78.1%) vastly outnumber upstream approaches (community-based 2.6%, policy 0.9%), representing a critical implementation gap. Context-specific, migration-aware health systems addressing structural determinants are urgently needed.
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