Since 2011 the geopolitical instability in the Middle East and North Africa has been contributing to exceptional flows of migrants to South European countries. According to IOM estimates, 769,399 refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea to reach Italy, Greece and Malta during the period 1 January - 6 November 2015. WHO does not recommend obligatory screening of refugee and migrant populations for diseases, because there is no clear evidence of benefits but strongly recommends offering and providing health checks at the entry points to ensure access to health care for all refugees and migrants in need of health protection, specific population groups (children, pregnant women, elderly) included. But migrant’s health deserves to be profoundly understood and clinical attitude accordingly adapted. That’s why migrants’ health needs are at the very centre of the today discussion and multidisciplinary teams identified as the most appropriate approach to tackle them. This model results to be effective particularly in approaching even more fragile subgroups, such as minors, pregnant women and victims of violence. The project, which can count upon the endorsement of 5 MS governments experiencing strong migration flows, deploys its potential throughout 8 WPs, all tailored addressing different aspects of migrant’s health, with a view to hosting societies. Among them, three WPs are horizontal, namely coordination, results dissemination and evaluation. Other WPs do sustain the health of migrants within the hotspots and migrants’ centres, produce evidence based instruments to manage health threats and syndromic surveillance, offer a way for tracking migrant’s health on the move, produces training and information material for health staff and general public as well as intervene into the public/private relationships to promote a new governance model for migration public policies.
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The “Joint Action on integrating prevention, testing and link to care strategies across HIV, Viral Hepatitis, TB & STIs in Europe” (INTEGRATE) has the overall objective to increase Integrated early diagnosis and linkage to prevention and care of HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs in EU Member States by 2020.
A number of tools have been developed to reduce transmission, optimize early diagnosis and linkage to care for one or more of these four diseases. INTEGRATE will map relevant existing tools for cross-linking. A peer-review process will identify which of these tools are complimentary or redundant for other disease(s), and which could be adapted or require further innovation.
HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs are cross-borders public health threats of concern to Europe that affect vulnerable populations disproportionately and require personalised interventions. As multiple dimensional approaches are required to reduce the public health burden, the most optimal profile of approaches that provide additive effects (and that are reasonably cost-effective) should be identified and implemented broadly.
INTEGRATE provides a platform to disseminate and exchange best practice among Member States and facilitate discussions on innovations and emerging issues within the four diseases. In this respect, INTEGRATE is a shared European effort that extends beyond the partners and can create important synergies across European stakeholders, projects and initiatives.
INTEGRATE supports the implementation of the Commission Communication on ‘Combating HIV/AIDS in the European Union and neighboring countries’ and the ‘Action Plan on HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighboring countries’ by ensuring better preparedness across the EU and by identifying innovative evidence-based testing and prevention tools to reduce new cases of HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs in priority groups.
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