Infectious diseases in the era of refugees: Hepatitis A outbreak in Lebanon

Background: The Syrian crisis has altered the epidemiology of infectious diseases in countries hosting large numbers of refugees. Lebanon witnessed several outbreaks linked to the presence of significant numbers of Syrian refugees, namely, Hepatitis A virus (HAV). We explore the epidemiology of HAV...

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Autores principales:	Abdul Rahman Bizri, Jawad Fares, Umayya Musharrafieh
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2018
Materias:	hepatitis a middle east syrian crisis syrian refugees vaccination Medicine R
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/8eb8f4e2f5ab4865b05d89538c013dca
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:8eb8f4e2f5ab4865b05d89538c013dca2021-12-02T18:50:07ZInfectious diseases in the era of refugees: Hepatitis A outbreak in Lebanon2231-07702249-446410.4103/ajm.AJM_130_18https://doaj.org/article/8eb8f4e2f5ab4865b05d89538c013dca2018-10-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/ajm.AJM_130_18https://doaj.org/toc/2231-0770https://doaj.org/toc/2249-4464Background: The Syrian crisis has altered the epidemiology of infectious diseases in countries hosting large numbers of refugees. Lebanon witnessed several outbreaks linked to the presence of significant numbers of Syrian refugees, namely, Hepatitis A virus (HAV). We explore the epidemiology of HAV in Lebanon and the impact of the Syrian war during the 2014 outbreak and suggest solutions to prevent and minimize the HAV spread amid the current socioeconomic conditions. Methods: We reviewed all HAV cases reported to the Epidemiologic Surveillance Unit at the Ministry of Public Health between January 2001 and December 2017. Demographics and distribution of Syrian refugees in Lebanon were linked to reports of new HAV cases. Results: A sharp rise in the number of reported HAV cases was observed in Lebanon in 2013, concurrent with the Syrian crisis and influx of refugees. Most cases reported in 2013 and 2014 involved Syrian refugees and their relevant areas of settlement in the Beqaa and North governorates. Conclusion: The influx of refugees strained overburdened sanitary infrastructure and overstretched existing public health services in Lebanon, which led to an increase in the incidence of reported HAV cases. The Lebanese health authorities and the international community need to intensify their efforts in surveillance and prevention of communicable diseases. Providing proper sanitation and free vaccination for affected communities are effective solutions to contain the HAV outbreak. Yet, financial constraints and the need to prioritize in the health budget put HAV-immunization at a lower priority. The Lebanese scenario could be reflective to other countries hosting sizeable numbers of refugees.Abdul Rahman BizriJawad FaresUmayya MusharrafiehThieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.articlehepatitis amiddle eastsyrian crisissyrian refugeesvaccinationMedicineRENAvicenna Journal of Medicine, Vol 8, Iss 04, Pp 147-152 (2018)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	hepatitis a middle east syrian crisis syrian refugees vaccination Medicine R
spellingShingle	hepatitis a middle east syrian crisis syrian refugees vaccination Medicine R Abdul Rahman Bizri Jawad Fares Umayya Musharrafieh Infectious diseases in the era of refugees: Hepatitis A outbreak in Lebanon
description	Background: The Syrian crisis has altered the epidemiology of infectious diseases in countries hosting large numbers of refugees. Lebanon witnessed several outbreaks linked to the presence of significant numbers of Syrian refugees, namely, Hepatitis A virus (HAV). We explore the epidemiology of HAV in Lebanon and the impact of the Syrian war during the 2014 outbreak and suggest solutions to prevent and minimize the HAV spread amid the current socioeconomic conditions. Methods: We reviewed all HAV cases reported to the Epidemiologic Surveillance Unit at the Ministry of Public Health between January 2001 and December 2017. Demographics and distribution of Syrian refugees in Lebanon were linked to reports of new HAV cases. Results: A sharp rise in the number of reported HAV cases was observed in Lebanon in 2013, concurrent with the Syrian crisis and influx of refugees. Most cases reported in 2013 and 2014 involved Syrian refugees and their relevant areas of settlement in the Beqaa and North governorates. Conclusion: The influx of refugees strained overburdened sanitary infrastructure and overstretched existing public health services in Lebanon, which led to an increase in the incidence of reported HAV cases. The Lebanese health authorities and the international community need to intensify their efforts in surveillance and prevention of communicable diseases. Providing proper sanitation and free vaccination for affected communities are effective solutions to contain the HAV outbreak. Yet, financial constraints and the need to prioritize in the health budget put HAV-immunization at a lower priority. The Lebanese scenario could be reflective to other countries hosting sizeable numbers of refugees.
format	article
author	Abdul Rahman Bizri Jawad Fares Umayya Musharrafieh
author_facet	Abdul Rahman Bizri Jawad Fares Umayya Musharrafieh
author_sort	Abdul Rahman Bizri
title	Infectious diseases in the era of refugees: Hepatitis A outbreak in Lebanon
title_short	Infectious diseases in the era of refugees: Hepatitis A outbreak in Lebanon
title_full	Infectious diseases in the era of refugees: Hepatitis A outbreak in Lebanon
title_fullStr	Infectious diseases in the era of refugees: Hepatitis A outbreak in Lebanon
title_full_unstemmed	Infectious diseases in the era of refugees: Hepatitis A outbreak in Lebanon
title_sort	infectious diseases in the era of refugees: hepatitis a outbreak in lebanon
publisher	Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
publishDate	2018
url	https://doaj.org/article/8eb8f4e2f5ab4865b05d89538c013dca
work_keys_str_mv	AT abdulrahmanbizri infectiousdiseasesintheeraofrefugeeshepatitisaoutbreakinlebanon AT jawadfares infectiousdiseasesintheeraofrefugeeshepatitisaoutbreakinlebanon AT umayyamusharrafieh infectiousdiseasesintheeraofrefugeeshepatitisaoutbreakinlebanon
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Infectious diseases in the era of refugees: Hepatitis A outbreak in Lebanon

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