PAHO report highlights urgent need to improve access to health for migrant populations in the Darien Region – PAHO/WHO

Washington DC October 15, 2024 (PAHO) – A report released today by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) documents the main challenges faced by migrants in the Darien region and calls on countries in the Americas to work together to strengthen disease surveillance and improve policies and programs to guarantee the health of migrants.

The new report, Challenges in access to health for migrants in transit through the Darién regionreveals that migrants face significant health challenges while transiting the vast jungle territory between the Colombia and Panama border, including lack of access to emergency medical care, adverse environmental conditions, increased risk of violence and exploitation, and exposure to diseases infectious.

“In the Americas, millions of migrants continue to be disproportionately affected by negative health outcomes due to lack of access to health care and this is particularly the case in the dangerous Darien crossing,” said PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa.

“It is crucial that countries, partners and donors come together to address the number of variants that hinder timely access to care for migrant populations,” he added.

Over the past two years, migration in the Darien region has continued to increase, as populations cross borders from southern to central and ultimately North America. This is not only due to political and economic instability in Latin America and the Caribbean and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but is also affected by conflicts and difficulties in other parts of the world.

In the first three months of 2024, more than 135,000 people traveled through this area, mainly from Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Peru and Venezuela, but also from Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, China and India, among other countries.

While migrants are particularly vulnerable to health problems, caused by a lack of access to preventative care and medications for pre-existing conditions, the harsh terrain of the Darien region also leaves them exposed to extreme weather conditions, wild animals, and violence and exploitation. .

The report shows that the vulnerability levels of populations in transit have also increased in recent years due to the increase in the number of migrants with disabilities, women traveling alone, pregnant women and women with children under one year of age, in addition to the number of unaccompanied children and adolescents.

The lack of medical care along the route means that migrants often miss out on life-saving prenatal care, as well as care for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and HIV. Lack of specialized services, including sexual and reproductive health, and mental health conditions are also exacerbating poor health outcomes for migrants.

Lack of access to health services, sanitation, basic hygiene and clean water, along with the consumption of unsafe and micronutrient-deficient street foods and nights sleeping outdoors, have also increased the occurrence of skin lesions, respiratory infections and diseases. transmitted by food in rural areas. five years, the main cause of death in this age group in both countries.

To help address these issues, the report proposes six recommendations:

• Strengthen coordination and partnerships between countries to ensure a more aligned and timely response to health situations;
• Improve access to health services for migrants in transit, as well as host populations;
• Strengthen health surveillance and information management in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR);
• Strengthen institutional and community capacities to respond to preventable diseases and deaths;
• Support countries in developing and strengthening policies, programs and frameworks to address migrant health;
• Help create plans to promote preparedness, response and recovery in the context of a migrant health crisis.

PAHO continues to work with countries in the Americas to support the development of migration response plans to improve access to health for both migrant and local populations, as well as to improve health surveillance and strengthen partnerships and networks.

The Organization is also working with host countries to implement health promotion campaigns on issues related to dengue prevention, sexual and reproductive health and other health issues, as well as developing campaigns to combat xenophobia, stigma and discrimination.