Reacción a "Public health recommendations for the migrant population in Ceuta"

What are the basic recommendations in a situation of this kind?

“This is a public health emergency that has been affecting thousands of people for several weeks and is becoming entrenched. It would be advisable to resolve the problem as soon as possible through political agreements. It appears that these migrants could return to their countries of origin, to Spain, or remain, at least for a while, in Ceuta.

At present, the priority in Ceuta is to improve accommodation and food provision, and to enhance health checks to assess people’s state of health and, above all, to rule out infections. Improving vaccination coverage is important but would not be the top priority. No special public health measures are required for Ceuta’s residents, except in those cases (if any) where Ceuta residents have had contact with a case of an infectious disease. It is important to provide information to residents and non-residents alike, ensuring maximum transparency".

For diseases requiring contact tracing, how can this be carried out, bearing in mind that these people come from other countries (some of which are in conflict)?

“In accordance with the recommendations of the ECDC, CDC and WHO, all such individuals arriving from countries with significantly higher rates of tuberculosis than Spain should be systematically screened. It is likely that some cases of tuberculosis will be detected, which should be isolated and treated appropriately, and their contacts

(whether migrants or not) should also be screened. Should other infections be detected, the standard protocols should be applied.

Special attention should be paid to children, who also constitute a very significant population. In the event of possible cases of chickenpox, measles, etc., they should be isolated and the relevant protocols applied. Vaccination coverage needs to be improved.”

Is isolation ever recommended?

“Only in the case of patients with communicable diseases.”