A new report released on Monday by the World Health Organization said Western culture and society posed more health risks to migrants than they did to any host nations, according to The Guardian.
The study was the first to offer a thorough report on refugee and migrant health in the west and suggests new arrivals have a high risk of falling ill while traveling to another country, but WHO Europe said the migrants also face dangers when arriving in their host nation.
Those risks include unhealthy living conditions, poor diet, and the growing obesity epidemic.
The report said refugees and migrants in Europe did not transmit disease or place a disproportionate burden on local healthcare systems.
The report also called on countries to make decisions about migrants based on facts, instead of political bias or racial prejudice.
“This report is a wonderful opportunity to diffuse false myths, misperceptions and negative narrative," said Dr. Santino Severoni, the coordinator of public health and migration for WHO Europe. “Health is very politicized and used as a tool of fear, but this report has very solid facts and data that is coming from our member states.”
The report said international migrants comprise 10% (90.7 million) of the population in the WHO European region, with just 7% who are refugees.
“In some European countries, citizens estimate that there are three or four times more migrants than there really are,” the report said.
The report also said researchers gathered evidence which suggested migrants and refugees were less likely to be affected by diseases such as cancer, stroke, or heart disease but their risk of developing those illnesses increase when moving to more developed countries.
But even though migrants and refugees are at a lower risk of all forms of cancer, they are more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage.
WHO Europe said: “Despite the widespread assumption to the contrary, there is only a very low risk of refugees and migrants transmitting communicable diseases to their host population.”
The report criticized countries such as the United Kingdom for charging some migrants and refugees for healthcare services, citing how the best way to protect people's health was to provide free, universal healthcare.
Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, the WHO regional director for Europe, said: “As migrants and refugees become more vulnerable than the host population to the risk of developing both noncommunicable and communicable diseases, it is necessary that they receive timely access to quality health services.
“This is the best way to save lives and cut treatment costs, as well as protect the health of the resident citizens.”
In terms of mental health, migrants and refugees had higher rates of depression and anxiety.
Unaccompanied minors were also more vulnerable to experiencing higher rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The report called on European nations to provide affordable and high-quality healthcare to everyone, despite their legal or migrant status.
It also called on the countries to making their healthcare systems culturally and linguistically accessible.
Severoni said: “Countries tend to use costs as a justification of limiting or delaying healthcare access to newcomers or providing emergency access only. But this is not cost-effective, early identification costs less than delaying until absolutely necessary hospital treatment.”
-WN.com, Maureen Foody