Volume 31, Issue 6, August 2024

The number of refugees across the world has jumped from 15.7 million to 34.6 million in the past 10 years, and their forced displacement situation has remain for an average period of 20 years. To ensure sustainable benefits, health system strengthening through development cooperation should be a priority in parallel to humanitarian aid early on in refugee crises.

In 2019, around 240 million pilgrims across the world participated in the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj in India and this number is likely to increase in the next Kumbh Mela in 2025. The huge gathering poses challenges by various pollutants and facilitates the easy transmission of infectious diseases.

Female genital mutilation/cutting is a human rights violation deeply rooted in gender inequality. The detection of women who have suffered the practice poses a series of challenges in primary healthcare. Intersectoral actions with an intersectional approach can acknowledge the complexity of the issue that can enhance safe and dialogical environments.

We have isolated a bla_NDM-1-harbouring ST147 Klebsiella pneumoniae strain from a Ukrainian immigrant hospitalized at a Japanese hospital, which was genetically corroborated to be highly identical to a Russian-derived isolate. This case highlights that the geopolitical risk potentially increases the global dissemination of antimicrobial resistance pathogens.

An Indian migrant presented with increasing neurological symptoms after an acute influenza B infection. We diagnosed progressive neurotuberculosis—a rare and difficult case of tuberculosis and influenza co-infection. It highlights the importance of broad-based diagnostics in people from low- and middle-income countries, taking into account unusual manifestations of tuberculosis.

A Venezuelan migrant presenting with sudden onset painful unilateral visual loss was diagnosed with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN), probably secondary to Toxocara spp. infection. Parasitic eye infections may be difficult to diagnose and treat. The risk of acquiring zoonotic infections from domestic animals is highlighted.

Paracoccidioidomycosis, uncommon in Europe, primarily affects South America travellers. We report a 58-year-old Colombian man, who has lived in France for 20 years, presented with an axillary skin lesion seven years after his last trip to Colombia. The diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis was established using histopathological, mycological and molecular analyses.

Heat-related illnesses have been well-documented in millions of travellers who attend mass gathering religious events such as the Kumbh Mehla and Hajj. The 2024 Hajj has recently attracted media attention due to significant HRIs among pilgrims attributed to excessive heat and significant number of unregistered pilgrims.

The involvement of genital women tract of chronic schistosomiasis among African migrant women in non-endemic countries might be more prevalent than expected. A gold standard diagnostic is most needed to determine the true prevalence of this condition and characterize the clinical presentation of female genital schistosomiasis among this particular population.

In Europe, American cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania mexicana is a rare imported disease. A series of six cases in 2023 is a noteworthy escalation at our institutions compared to the past two decades. This surge is likely linked to an increase of cases and environmental changes in South-Eastern Mexico.

This study describes a high prevalence of malaria in 2894 asymptomatic migrants from sub-Saharan Africa over an 8-year period using qPCR as a screening technique. The use of nucleic acid amplification tests constitutes a good alternative for malaria diagnosis in this moving population.

Overall prevalence of nasopharyngeal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage in Grand Magal de Touba pilgrims was 5.2% by PCR and 2.6% acquired carriage following participation in the event. Given the potential for globalization of pathogens, surveillance is crucial to implementing timely interventions and protecting public health during the mass gathering.