José Miguel Cisneros Herreros
Head of the Clinical Unit for Infectious Diseases, Microbiology and Parasitology at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital and a researcher with the CIBERINFEC Bacterial Resistance and Antimicrobials Group and the Seville Institute of Biomedicine (IBiS)
What are the basic recommendations in a situation of this kind?
- “To address overcrowding and unsanitary conditions amongst migrants.
- Clinical assessment of migrants to diagnose and treat those who are ill and, where necessary (for example, in cases of pulmonary tuberculosis), to provide individual respiratory isolation”.
Are any special measures required in relation to the residents of Ceuta?
- “The general public should be properly informed about the situation, what these infections entail, and that they are not at greater risk of contracting them.
- Healthcare professionals and others caring for migrants are at risk of contracting these infections and must therefore protect themselves by wearing gloves and a face mask.
- The greatest risk of contracting these infections lies with migrants, as they are the ones living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions”.
For diseases where contact tracing is required, how can this be carried out, bearing in mind that people are coming from other countries (some of which are in conflict)?
“Identifying the contacts of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis is, without doubt, the greatest diagnostic challenge. It requires, firstly, diagnosing migrants with this disease; secondly, identifying their contacts; and thirdly, administering tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis to them to prevent them from developing the disease.”
Is lockdown ever indicated?
“Lockdown of the population is indicated in situations where there is a risk of mass transmission of an infection, as was the case with COVID-19. This is not the case with this humanitarian crisis, in which respiratory isolation is indeed indicated for people – whether migrants or not – who are diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, during the first few days of treatment, just as is done on a daily basis with the cases of tuberculosis diagnosed every day in our country.”