Eurosurveillance
Volume 23, Issue 20, 2018

Negligible import of enteric pathogens by newly-arrived asylum seekers and no impact on incidence of notified salmonella and shigella infections and outbreaks in rhineland-palatinate, germany, january 2015 to may 2016 (Article) (Open Access)

Ehlkes L. , George M. , Knautz D. , Burckhardt F. , Jahn K. , Vogt M. , Zanger P.*
  • a Federal State Agency for Consumer and Health Protection Rhineland-Palatinate, Koblenz, Germany, Postgraduate Training for Applied Epidemiology (PAE), Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany, European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden
  • b Federal State Agency for Consumer and Health Protection Rhineland-Palatinate, Koblenz, Germany
  • c Federal State Agency for Consumer and Health Protection Rhineland-Palatinate, Koblenz, Germany
  • d Federal State Agency for Consumer and Health Protection Rhineland-Palatinate, Koblenz, Germany
  • e Federal State Ministry for Social Affairs, Employment, Health, and Demographics Rhineland-Palatinate, Mainz, Germany
  • f Federal State Agency for Consumer and Health Protection Rhineland-Palatinate, Koblenz, Germany
  • g Federal State Agency for Consumer and Health Protection Rhineland-Palatinate, Koblenz, Germany, Heidelberg Institute of Public Health, University Hospitals, Heidelberg, Germany, Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospitals, Heidelberg, Germany

Abstract

Introduction: The 2015 refugee crisis raised concerns about an import of infectious diseases affecting the German population. Aims: To evaluate public and individual health benefits of stool screening, and explore whether importation of enteric pathogens by newly-arrived asylum seekers impacts on the host population. Methods: We used data from mandatory stool screening to determine the overall, age, sex, and country-specific prevalence of enteric bacteria and helminths. We used surveillance data to assess whether the number of incoming asylum seekers influenced notifications of salmonellosis and shigellosis in Rhineland-Palatinate. Results: Salmonella were found in 0.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2–0.3%) of 23,410 samples collected from January 2015 to May 2016. Prevalence was highest in children under 5 years (0.8%; 95% CI: 0.5–1.3%). No Shigella or invasive Salmonella spp. were detected. In a subset of 14,511 samples, the prevalence of helminth infestation was 2.4% (95% CI: 2.1–2.6%), with highest proportions detected in adolescents (4.6%; 95% CI 3.8–5.4%) and among Eritreans (9.3%; 95% CI: 7.0–12.0%); in the latter particularly Schistosoma mansoni and Taenia spp. The increase in asylum applications did not increase notifications of salmonellosis and shigellosis. No transmission from asylum seekers to German residents was notified. Conclusion: Public health risk associated with imported enteric pathogens is very low overall. Addressing individual and public health risks, we recommend replacing stool screening of all newly-arrived asylum seekers by a targeted approach, with target groups and approaches being adapted if necessary. Target groups supported by our data are children, adolescents, and Eritreans. © 2018, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

Germany Dysentery, Bacillary helminth refugee Enterobacteriaceae import disease Epidemiological Monitoring human sex difference Refugees middle aged feces analysis controlled study procedures Confidence interval disease surveillance asylum seeker Humans mandatory testing Salmonella Infections taeniasis Adolescent feces culture Infant, Newborn male shigellosis preschool child female Infant risk factor geographic origin Child, Preschool communicable disease control schistosomiasis mansoni newborn population research Communicable Diseases, Imported prevalence Incidence Article Disease Notification disease transmission epidemic Eritrean communicable disease adult major clinical study Feces helminthiasis age distribution microbiology salmonellosis Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85047927955&doi=10.2807%2f1560-7917.ES.2018.23.20.17-00463&partnerID=40&md5=0d0a478529f8791f9b57f1ef430cdc2e
DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.20.17-00463
ISSN: 1025496X
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English