Frequency of Infectious Diseases in Immigrants in a Western European Country: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

The aim of this population-based study was to assess the incidence rates of infectious diseases in native- (Italian) and foreign-born (immigrants) populations in a North Italy area, in 2006-2010. Crude, age-specific incidence rates (IRs) and age-standardised rate ratios (SRRs) between foreign- and native-born subjects and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. A total of 32,554 cases of infectious diseases were found (9.9% in foreign-born subjects). The highest SRRs between foreign- and nativeborn subjects were found for tuberculosis (SRR = 27.1; 95% CI 21.3-34.3), malaria (SRR = 21.1; 14.6-30.4), scabies (SRR = 8.5; 7.6-9.4), AIDS (SRR = 2.5; 1.8-3.4) and viral hepatitis B (SRR = 3.3; 2.1-5.2). The highest IR was found for AIDS in people from the Americas (IR = 4.57; 95% CI 2.2-8.4), for malaria and tuberculosis in people from Africa (IR = 13.89; 11.6-16.5 and IR = 11.87; 9.8-14.3 respectively). Therefore immigrants are at a higher risk of acquiring some common infectious diseases compared to the native population in Western European countries.

An increasing scabies incidence in Croatia: A call for coordinated action among dermatologists, physicians and epidemiologists

“…Several trends and related factors have been found to be important for scabies outbreaks. Thus, a strong connection among scabies, migration and travel has been reported ( 11 , 12 , 15 , 23 ). Since scabies moves with people, mass migration due to political and socioeconomic factors can promote its spread, as seen recently with the influx of asylum seekers arriving in Western Europe from high-prevalence countries ( 11 , 12 ).…”

“…Since scabies is transmitted by close person-to-person contact, it is logical that outbreaks have been reported in reception centres for asylum seekers across Europe ( 11 ). Previous studies claim that immigrants are at a higher risk of acquiring common communicable diseases compared to the native Western European population ( 23 ). Although most refugees in Croatia are only in transit, refugee and migration flows can still have an impact on the occurrence of scabies in the country.…”

“…Significantly, another possible cause for the increase could be Croatia’s 2013 admission into the European Union and the consequent increase in travel to the country ( 23 ). An important, related factor could be the increase in Croatia’s tourism rate over the last few years, which might indicate the influence of travel and tourism on the scabies rate.…”

Race, Ethnicity, Nativity and Perceptions of Health Risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US

“…Immigrants in general are also more susceptible to infectious disease compared to native populations [ 36 , 37 ]. Limina et al [ 36 ] found that the reasons for this increased likelihood of contracting infectious disease are the socioeconomic situations in the country in which they are living.…”

“…Immigrants in general are also more susceptible to infectious disease compared to native populations [ 36 , 37 ]. Limina et al [ 36 ] found that the reasons for this increased likelihood of contracting infectious disease are the socioeconomic situations in the country in which they are living. Some of these situations are exacerbated by immigration status in the host country, social exclusion, discrimination, language difficulties, gender, and access to medical services, among other things [ 2 , 36 ].…”