Roma Health: An Overview of Communicable Diseases in Eastern and Central Europe

Abstract

The Roma are Europe’s largest minority. They are also one of its most disadvantaged, with low levels of education and health and high levels of poverty. Research on Roma health often reveals higher burdens of disease in the communities studied. This paper aims to review the literature on communicable diseases among Roma across Eastern and Central Europe. A PubMed search was carried out for communicable diseases among Roma in these parts of Europe, specifically in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and North Macedonia. The papers were then screened for relevance and utility. Nineteen papers were selected for review; most of them from Slovakia. Roma continue to have a higher prevalence of communicable diseases and are at higher risk of infection than the majority populations of the countries they live in. Roma children in particular have a particularly high prevalence of parasitic disease. However, these differences in disease prevalence are not present across all diseases and all populations. For example, when Roma are compared to non-Roma living in close proximity to them, these differences are often no longer significant.

Geografia dezvoltării. Abordări centrate pe om

“…Alte studii au avut ca subiect: nașterile în timpul adolescenței în România (Dimitriu et al, 2018), provocările medicale ale minorității rome (Kühlbrandt, 2019;Tombat, van Dijk, 2020;Lee et al, 2014), discutarea temei sexualității în familie (Faludi, Rada, 2019), politici pentru ajutarea persoanelor fără adăpost în patru state membre UE (Trummer et al, 2020), violența ca problemă socială și medicală Valdebenito et al, 2020), emigrarea medicilor în altă țară (Saghin, Lucheș, Marici, 2016), povara indusă de afecțiunile mentale (Iovu, Breaz, 2019).…”

Raising employment and quality of life among people with disadvantages – results of a Hungarian project

“…People with disadvantages, and especially in Hungary, members of Romani people are high-risk groups of both health problems and unemployment or underemployment [10]. This association exists in the case of different types of disadvantages.…”

Parasitic zoonoses in the Roma population

“…7 These disadvantages reflect even today in their social, economic, and political vulnerability. 8 Many still live in poor socioeconomic conditions in isolated settlements. 9 The settlements are often built on loose soil, with no access to clean drinking water and without proper sanitary facilities and sewage systems.…”

“…11 Roma people have significantly poorer health status, shorter life expectancy, and more often suffer from chronic and communicable diseases than their non-Roma counterparts. 8,12 Communicable diseases are prevalent, and Roma children are particularly susceptible to parasitic diseases. 8 Moreover, numerous unregistered animals, with no veterinary care, live in many Roma settlements and share already overcrowded living areas with people.…”

“…8,12 Communicable diseases are prevalent, and Roma children are particularly susceptible to parasitic diseases. 8 Moreover, numerous unregistered animals, with no veterinary care, live in many Roma settlements and share already overcrowded living areas with people. 11,13 As a consequence of poor living conditions and close contact with animals, zoonoses, such as cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis, toxoplasmosis, giardiasis, and infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are common.…”