WHO releases new report addressing TB among refugees and migrants

18 November 2024 – The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), has released a new action-oriented report on addressing tuberculosis (TB) among refugees and migrants at the 7^th edition of the Summit in Doha, Qatar.

Migrants and refugees face an elevated risk of TB due to multiple compounding challenges. The migration journey, along with overcrowded, poor-quality living conditions, exploitative work environments, and stigma, heightens their vulnerability. Social, cultural, and financial barriers further restrict access to healthcare and vital support, while policy gaps—especially in cross-border protections—leave them unprotected. These conditions lead to delayed, disrupted, or inadequate healthcare, with far-reaching social, health, and economic consequences that deepen already stark health inequities.

“The WHO/WISH report provides a robust framework for addressing TB among refugees  and migrants, but it requires the collective effort of all stakeholders to make these policies a reality, backed with investments,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme, “The time to act is now—by implementing these proven strategies, we can turn the tide in the fight against TB, achieving a future where no one is left behind.”

The WISH report outlines the following ten key policy options to dismantle the barriers that prevent displaced populations from accessing essential TB prevention and care:

1. Mobilize political leadership: Engage high-level leadership to secure support for addressing TB in migrants, refugees, and displaced populations, integrating efforts into national strategies and plans for health and for TB.
2. Secure adequate resources: Boost domestic and international funding for TB prevention and care in refugee and migrant populations, prioritizing sustainable and innovative financial mechanisms and leveraging international partnerships.
3. Protect legal rights to access health care: Develop national health policies and legislative frameworks that guarantee refugees and migrants’ legal rights to equitable, stigma-free TB care, with social protection, aligned with international laws.
4. Strengthen multisectoral collaboration: Promote cross-sector coordination between health, immigration, and labor sectors to combat TB and ensure continuity of care across borders in line with WHO’s Multisectoral Accountability Framework to end TB.
5. Enhance cross-border initiatives and mechanisms: Support regional consilia and cross-border collaboration to ensure seamless TB care, medicine supply, and service provision for migrants.
6. Leverage technical guidance: Ensure refugees and migrants benefit from universal health coverage, implementing WHO-recommended TB screening, diagnosis, and treatment tools.
7. Empower civil society: Involve refugee and migrant communities in decision-making processes and support TB advocacy to combat stigma and discrimination.
8. Improve surveillance: Strengthen data systems to capture and analyze disaggregated TB data for refugees and migrants, ensuring confidentiality and data protection.
9. Intensify targeted research: Accelerate research to identify and dismantle critical barriers that limit refugees’ and migrants’ access to TB care. Focus on addressing health inequities and ensure research findings are rapidly translated into actionable policies and practices to close the gaps in care and improve outcomes.
10. Monitor progress: WHO, in collaboration with international organizations, will track progress on these recommendations and provide updates on their implementation at the Summit held in 2026.

The full adoption of these policy options promises to significantly enhance the health and wellbeing of refugees and migrants worldwide.

The report features compelling case studies from diverse regions, including Qatar, the Greater Mekong Subregion, the Middle East, Cox’s Bazar, the Amazonas, Eastern Africa, and Poland. These examples showcase the impact of innovative strategies and cross-sectoral collaboration in tackling TB among displaced populations.

The report was launched at WISH 2024 in a special session moderated by Stephen Sackur of BBC HardTalk. The panel featured prominent voices, including Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme; Mr. Joseph Mwangi Macharia, a TB survivor from Qatar; Dr. Muna Al Maslamani, Medical Director of the Communicable Disease Center at Hamad Medical Corporation; Ms. Bience Gawanas, Vice Chair of the Global Fund Board; Dr. Michela Martini, Senior Regional Thematic Specialist for Migration Health at the International Organization for Migration; and Dr. Paul Spiegel, Director of the Center for Humanitarian Health and Distinguished Professor of Practice at Johns Hopkins University.

SEE ALSO:

• The BMJ Opinion: Unified response is needed to tackle tuberculosis among refugees and migrants

For more TB updates, check out the TB CAB Weekly Newsletter (Issue #11, 27 November 2024).

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