The care of recent migrants from resource-poor countries requires careful consideration by healthcare providers. Innovative approaches are required to reduce the significant inequalities in health compared to the UK-born population and long-term migrants. Primary care physicians are best positioned to improve early diagnosis of imported infections such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, hepatitis and helminth infections to avoid the high cost of emergency presentations with advanced disease. Culturally sensitive approaches are required when managing stigmatizing diseases. Common non-communicable diseases should not be neglected. The issue of providing free healthcare to undocumented migrants is a political one; where individuals do have entitlement to care, it should be provided effectively. © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Primary care Screening parasitic worms mental disease illegal migrants Migrants tuberculosis Malaria HIV poverty

Strongyloides stercoralis immigrant Eosinophilia parasitosis primary medical care refugee Human immunodeficiency virus infection developing country poverty health care personnel cryptococcosis human diabetes mellitus ethnic group priority journal Malaria geographic distribution general practitioner language screening sexually transmitted disease mental disease health care cost hepatitis C cultural factor sexual health prevalence Incidence hepatitis Article female genital mutilation pregnancy outcome Plasmodium vivax United Kingdom endemic disease malaria falciparum helminthiasis high risk pregnancy hepatitis B practice guideline non communicable disease early diagnosis