Risk factors and current health seeking patterns of migrants in northeastern Mexico: healthcare needs for a socially vulnerable population

Risk factors and current health seeking patterns of migrants in northeastern Mexico: healthcare needs for a socially vulnerable population

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This study identified risk factors for health and access to healthcare services of migrants during their journey across Mexico Sneakers for Men - Grey - Canvas Mesh Athletic Running Shoes to the United States.Data were collected in shelters located in Monterrey, the largest city of northeastern Mexico, through a basic clinical examination and a survey completed by 75 migrants; 92% of them were undocumented Central Americans.During their transit, they are at a high risk of contracting, developing, and transmitting diseases.The need of working to survive affects health-seeking behavior and a constant fear of being traced keeps migrants away from public health services, which delays diagnosis and treatment of diseases.Negligent lifestyles, such as smoking, drinking (31.

8% of men and 11.1% of women), and drug abuse (13% of men and 11% of women), were found.Regarding tuberculosis (TB), undocumented migrants are usually not screened, even though they come from countries with a high TB burden.Besides, they might be overexposed to TB because of their living conditions in overcrowded places with deficient hygiene, protection, and malnutrition (54.7% of the sample).

Possible comorbidities like acquired immune deficiency syndrome canon imageclass mf227dw (AIDS; 4%) and diabetes (2.7%, but probably under-diagnosed) were referred.Migrants have little TB knowledge, which is independent of their level of education or a previous experience of deportation.About one-third of the migrants were totally unfamiliar with TB-related symptoms, while 36% had correct knowledge of basic TB symptoms.We conclude that a shortage of information on the highly vulnerable migratory population combined with a lack of social support and health education among migrants may play a significant role in the spread of communicable diseases.

We recommend that health authorities address this urgent, binational, public health concern, in order to prevent outbreaks of emerging infections.