Journal of travel medicine
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Infection with Mansonella perstans is a neglected filariasis, widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, characterized by an elusive clinical picture; treatment for mansonellosis is not standardized. This retrospective study aimed to describe the clinical features, treatment schemes and evolution, of a large cohort of imported cases of M. perstans infection seen in four European centres for tropical diseases. ⋯ Lack of specific symptoms, together with the inconstant positivity of parasitological and antibody-based assays in the infected population, makes the clinical suspicion and screening for mansonellosis particularly difficult. Prospective studies evaluating prevalence of infection in migrants from endemic areas, infection-specific morbidity, presence of Wolbachia endosymbionts in M. perstans populations from different geographical areas and efficacy of treatment regimens are absolutely needed to optimize the clinical management of infection.
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The electronic Personal Health Record (ePHR) is a health information system that registers health data on newly arriving migrants and was implemented in eight European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia). This is a cross-sectional study aimed to describe the health problems and health status of all migrants attended at health clinics as part of the health assessment programme established in the reception centres (2016-2019). ⋯ The ePHR is a valuable tool to efficiently collect health-related data to better address migrant health issues. We described a mostly healthy population with many acute infectious disease episodes particularly in children, but also with significant number of chronic conditions and less frequent injuries or mental health problems.