Children on the move—a call for active screening in migrants

Abstract

Paediatricians, general practitioners, and family doctors are increasingly confronted with medical symptoms previously not on their radar, because of a rise in migration. In the past 5 years, an estimated 1 million displaced children and adolescents have entered the EU and European Economic Area (EEA), many of them unaccompanied. This vulnerable group faces great challenges and health risks. Societies should welcome migrant families, and medical professionals should help integrate migrant children into health-care systems to ensure high quality care is delivered sustainably. Besides obvious benefits for the individual, it is in the interest of societies to prevent increased incidence of infectious diseases that are currently well controlled, such as tuberculosis. Three infectious diseases—tuberculosis, schistosomiasis, and strongyloidiasis—are particularly relevant and should be seen as priorities for screening and treatment in migrant children.