Wartime migration and the incidence of tuberculosis in the Zagreb region, Croatia

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to investigate the rate of decline in the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in residents (1985-1994) and in refugees and displaced persons (1992-1994) during prewar and war periods (1985-1994) in the region of Zagreb, Croatia, and to examine a possible change in the trend of decline in the resident population. Data on the incidence of TB were obtained from the Epidemiology Department, Institute for Lung Diseases, Zagreb, Croatia. The sample comprised two groups of subjects: residents (800,000-1,000,000 inhabitants) and all refugees and displaced persons temporarily residing in the Zagreb region (78,000-95,000 persons). Data were analysed by stepwise logistic regression. The most significant predictors of the TB incidence rate were the square of the year and residence status. The rate of TB incidence in nonresidents was significantly higher than in residents. The decline in incidence in residents was significantly slower than in the nonresident group. The results did not indicate a potential change in the natural decline of the incidence of tuberculosis in the resident population during the study periods. The difference between the regression trends of the incidence of tuberculosis in residents and nonresidents was the result of various concomitant factors, including artefacts of the war.

Health of Displaced Albanian Kosovars in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Fitness to Travel and Health Outcomes Assessment

“…This disease and other transmissible respiratory infections also are of personal and public health interest related to this mobile population. 9 There also existed health issues for special hosts, e.g., 6.5% of the women of child-bearing age were pregnant during this assessment. Pre-natal screening, vaccine preventable infections, and other maternal-child health concerns were important follow-up issues identified in this population.…”

Effets de la guerre sur le contrôle de la tuberculose en Côte d’Ivoire de 2002 à 2007

“…Ils favorisent en effet, la recrudescence des cas de tuberculose, provoquent une augmentation des cas d'abandon du traitement et contribuent à l'augmentation de la mortalité des tuberculeux [4,5,9]. Au Congo-Brazzaville par exemple [9], les guerres de 1997 et 1999 avaient provoqué une flambée de l'endémie tuberculeuse en 2000, année au cours de laquelle le nombre de cas de tuberculose notifiés avait presque doublé par rapport à 1999, passant de 5125 à 9436 cas.…”

“…En effet, en impactant négativement l'organisation de la lutte antituberculeuse, les conflits armés non seulement perturbent l'organisation de la lutte antituberculeuse mais aussi et surtout provoquent une recrudescence des cas de tuberculose maladie dans les pays en guerre [4,5].…”