ECDC Report Highlights Health Disparities Among Migrants
A new ECDC report reveals that migrants in the EU face significant barriers to healthcare, resulting in higher rates of transmissible diseases.
Migrants account for 47% of all HIV diagnoses in 29 EU/EEA countries in 2024.
Structural barriers limit access to healthcare, exacerbating health inequalities.
ECDC recommends improved access to prevention and treatment services for migrant populations.
A recent report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) underscores the ongoing health challenges faced by migrants across Europe. The findings indicate that migrants encounter significant barriers to accessing health services, resulting in a disproportionately high burden of transmissible diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and viral hepatitis. This report highlights the urgent need for policy changes to address these issues.
The ECDC's surveillance and monitoring efforts reveal that migrants, who represent approximately 10% of the EU/EEA population, experience higher rates of certain diseases compared to non-migrants. In 2024, migrants accounted for 47% of all reported HIV diagnoses in 29 EU/EEA countries. Furthermore, out of 38,249 TB cases reported, 14,400 (38%) involved individuals of foreign origin. The report emphasizes that legal restrictions, language barriers, and stigma contribute to the ongoing transmission of these diseases and widen health inequalities.
Data collected from online questionnaires across 30 EU/EEA countries indicate that the burden of diseases varies significantly by country. For instance, while some nations report less than 2% of TB cases among migrants, others, such as Cyprus and Norway, report figures exceeding 85%. The report also estimates that 1.73 million migrants in the EU live with hepatitis B, and 1.03 million with hepatitis C, highlighting the urgent need for targeted healthcare interventions.
The report identifies several factors contributing to the heightened vulnerability of migrant populations. Many migrants live in substandard conditions, face unstable employment, and encounter social barriers that limit their access to healthcare. Undocumented migrants, in particular, experience additional challenges, including fear of deportation and limited health insurance coverage, which further restrict their access to necessary testing and treatment.
To address these disparities, the ECDC recommends several strategies, including expanding access to HIV prevention medications, hepatitis B vaccinations, and TB screening. The report advocates for community testing and mobile TB screening to enhance accessibility. It also calls for countries to tackle stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings and improve data collection on migrant health needs. The ECDC emphasizes that including migrants in health policies is only the first step; practical access to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment must follow to effectively reduce health disparities.
