cover story
Examining the Public Health Impacts of Immigration
By Kelly M . Pyrek
Balancing the provision of healthcare to evacuees , immigrants , refugees with protecting U . S . citizens from communicable diseases is a critical public health imperative right now , as the influx of foreign-born individuals is reaching significant numbers in a short period of time under the current administration . As Dallas , et al . ( 2018 ) emphasize , “ considering the U . S . border in terms of the interaction of health protection of both migrant and current resident populations could then reasonably be identified as a critical policy issue touching public health in America today .”
The Migration Data Portal observes , “ The relationship between migration and health is complex , and its impact varies considerably across migrant groups , and from person to person within such groups . Conditions surrounding the migration process may exacerbate health vulnerabilities and risk behaviors such as the case of a victim of sex trafficking through transnational networks . Conversely , it can be an enabler for achieving better health trajectories , such as the case of a newly arrived refugee as part of a humanitarian settlement program accessing treatment for a chronic disease . Due to the lack of legal status , stigma , discrimination , language , cultural barriers and low-income levels , irregular migrants may be excluded from accessing primary healthcare services , vaccination campaigns and health-promotion interventions .”
The recent increase in human migration has coincided with a renewed awareness of the risks of microbial migration , and the interdependency of human health .”
Illingworth and Parmet ( 2017 ) note that “ The recent increase in human migration has coincided with a renewed awareness of the risks of microbial migration , and the interdependency of human health . In 2014 , the world witnessed the worst Ebola epidemic to date , with more than 11,000 people dying of the disease in West Africa . Although the disease did not spread widely outside that region , with only a few cases occurring in the United States and Europe , Ebola underscored the interdependency of human health across the globe . The resources and efforts that the international community eventually invested to combat the epidemic , albeit late in coming , also demonstrated a recognition that in our global age , the health of people in one part of the globe affects the health of people living far away . Or , as we shall argue , health is at least partially a global public good .”
The issue is complex and can be driven by political ideology , Illingworth and Parmet ( 2017 ) suggest , noting , “… it is too simple to assert that the United States denies immigrants access to healthcare . The actual situation is far more nuanced , and more perplexing . Our survey of U . S . policies pertaining to immigrants ’ access to care shows a tangle of inconsistent and conflicting policies , some opening the door to immigrants , others shutting the door . This morass , we contend , reveals deep conflicts in our attitudes toward the health of immigrants . At times we understand