International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume 14, Issue 7, 2017

Factors influencing the accuracy of infectious disease reporting in migrants: A scoping review (Review) (Open Access)

Rossi P.G.* , Riccardo F. , Pezzarossi A. , Ballotari P. , Dente M.G. , Napoli C. , Chiarenza A. , Munoz C.V. , Noori T. , Declich S.
  • a Interinstitutional Epidemiology Unit, AUSL Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, 42122, Italy, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, 42123, Italy
  • b National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, 00161, Italy
  • c Interinstitutional Epidemiology Unit, AUSL Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, 42122, Italy, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, 42123, Italy
  • d Interinstitutional Epidemiology Unit, AUSL Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, 42122, Italy, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, 42123, Italy
  • e National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, 00161, Italy
  • f National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, 00161, Italy
  • g Research and Innovation Unit, AUSL Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, 42122, Italy
  • h European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, 17183, Sweden, IS Global, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, 08036, Spain
  • i European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, 17183, Sweden
  • j National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, 00161, Italy

Abstract

We conducted a scoping review of literature to improve our understanding of the accuracy of infectious disease monitoring in migrants in the Europe. We searched PubMed for papers relevant to the topic including: case reports, observational and experimental studies, reviews, guidelines or policy documents; published after 1994. We identified 532 papers, 27 of which were included in the review. Legislation and right to access health care influence both the accuracy of rates and risk measures under estimating the at risk population, i.e., the denominator. Furthermore, the number of reported cases, i.e., the numerator, may also include cases not accounted for in the denominator. Both biases lead to an overestimated disease occurrence. Restriction to healthcare access and low responsiveness may cause under-detection of cases, however a quantification of this phenomenon has not been produced. On the contrary, screening for asymptomatic diseases increases ascertainment leading to increased detection of cases. Incompleteness of denominator data underestimates the at-risk population. In conclusion, most studies show a lower probability of under-reporting infectious diseases in migrants compared with native populations. © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords

Surveillance Migrant health Infectious diseases Under-reporting

Index Keywords

law Human immunodeficiency virus infection Europe health risk accuracy assessment infectious disease indigenous people human Communicable Diseases opportunistic infection disease surveillance Humans migrant ethnic difference bacterial meningitis tuberculosis Review measurement accuracy asymptomatic infection high risk population prevalence Incidence health care Disease Notification communicable disease migration infection risk health care access pertussis infection Transients and Migrants hepatitis B systematic review acquired immune deficiency syndrome health care delivery bacterial arthritis Health Services Accessibility public health hepatitis C
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85022009452&doi=10.3390%2fijerph14070720&partnerID=40&md5=c16f15986701af0c6587882e01c11ac9
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14070720
ISSN: 16617827
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English