The refugee crisis challenges national health care systems

O ne aspect of the current refugee crisis that receives little media coverage is the health care need of refugees and migrants and the concomitant public health challenges faced by the various countries along their road to safety. These problems are substantial in particular for countries that have had to deal with large numbers of refugees. Lebanon is the most extreme case: its population has increased by about 25% to almost 6 million at the start of 2016 owing to the influx of refugees, which includes around 1.1 million Syrians, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Many refugees suffer not only from infectious, communicable, non-communicable or chronic diseases, but also from severe mental health problems owing to stress and traumatic experiences. ...................................................... “. . . the full health effects of the greatest mass migration since World War II will only become clear many years down the line . . .” ......................................................