By: Staff Writer
August 2, 2022
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that more than 5.6m Venezuelans now live outside of Venezuela, the second largest migration pattern behind war torn Syria in 2021.
The WHO in their “World report on the health of refugees and migrants,” said that migration towards North America remains prominent, mostly from other parts of the Americas, as well as from Asia (notably China, India and the Philippines). The United States of America is the largest recipient of migrants worldwide, with 18 percent of total global migrants (51m) in 2020.
The largest migration corridor in the world is between the United States and Mexico, which is a key country of origin, transit and destination. As well as economic factors, displacement and migration from Central America and the Caribbean reflect environmental events, such as droughts and hurricanes, as well as generalized violence and criminal activity.
The report said: “In 2021 the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela experienced the largest movement of refugees and migrants worldwide, after the Syrian Arab Republic. More than 5.6 million Venezuelans were outside their country of origin towards the end of 2021; of these, more than 80 percent had fled to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, most notably Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
“At the same point in time, there were 92,100 newly displaced Venezuelans (refugees, asylum seekers and migrants) in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Worldwide, more people are on the move now than ever before, yet many refugees and migrants face poorer health outcomes than the host populations. Addressing their health needs is, therefore, a global health priority and integral to the principle of the right to health for all. The key is to strengthen and maintain health systems by ensuring that they are refugee- and migrant-sensitive and inclusive.
Health outcomes are influenced by a whole host of determinants. However, refugees and migrants face additional determinants such as precarious legal status; discrimination; social, cultural, linguistic, administrative and financial barriers; lack of information about health entitlements; low health literacy; and fear of detention and deportation.
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Evidence on the health of refugees and migrants remains fragmented – comparable data across countries and over time are urgently needed to track progress towards the health-related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With only 8 years until the 2030 target date to transform our world, the time to act is now.
The report also said: “Research indicates that almost 30 percent of HIV-positive migrants in the United States were diagnosed at a late stage, a proportion higher than that of the equivalent United States population; this is a common issue among Caribbean, particularly male, migrants.”
It added: “A study conducted on male migrants from African and Caribbean countries and on male Black migrants, including men who have sex with men, found that there was an association between HIV infection and sexually transmitted infections, including an increased risk of HPV infection and syphilis.”