International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume 14, Issue 10, 2017

Refugee policy implications of U.S. immigration medical screenings: A new era of inadmissibility on health-related grounds (Review) (Open Access)

Hong M.-K. , Varghese R.E. , Jindal C. , Efird J.T.*
  • a Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB), School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle (UoN), Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
  • b School of Medicine and Health Sciences, GeorgeWashington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States
  • c Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB), School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle (UoN), Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
  • d Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB), School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle (UoN), Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia, Center for Health Disparities (CHD), Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University (ECU), Greenville, NC 27834, United States

Abstract

Refugees frequently face extended delays in their efforts to enter the United States (U.S.) and those who are successful, in many cases, encounter overwhelming obstacles, inadequate resources, and a complex system of legal barriers. Travel restrictions based on equivocal health concerns and a drop in refugee admittance ceilings have complicated the situation. The authors retrieved and analyzed peer-reviewed journal articles, government agency press releases, media postings, epidemiologic factsheets, and relevant lay publications to critically assess U.S. policy regarding refugee resettlement based on health-related grounds. While refugees arguably exhibit an increased incidence of measles and tuberculosis compared with the U.S. population, the legitimacy of the medical examination will be undermined if other diseases that are endemic to refugee populations, yet currently deemed admissible, are used to restrict refugees from entering the U.S. This paper addressees the historic refugee policy of the U.S. and its consequent effect on the health of this vulnerable population. The needs of refugees should be carefully considered in the context of increased disease burden and the associated health care challenges of the country as a whole. © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords

Populism measles Refugee health tuberculosis Rule-making HIV Immigration

Index Keywords

refugee legal system Human immunodeficiency virus infection health care policy medical examination human epidemiology Refugees immigration resettlement policy drug dependence Human immunodeficiency virus United States Humans immigration policy tuberculosis Review History, 21st Century medical information Incidence case management disease transmission history behavior disorder health care communicable disease migration History, 20th Century health care quality Emigration and Immigration Health Policy physical disability vaccination disease burden public policy health hazard measles health care need public health
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85030093656&doi=10.3390%2fijerph14101107&partnerID=40&md5=05d15d9ddefc5a46660ddb6579900514
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14101107
ISSN: 16617827
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English