Call to reduce medical risks to refugees on repatriation

In a commentary article published this week in International Journal for Equity in Health, Siroos Mirzaei and co-authors call for medical professionals involved in the repatriation of refugees to institute preventative measures to minimize the possible medical and psychological complications that may result from their repatriation.

Austria generally accepts that traumatized refugees, especially those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder should not be subjected to forced repatriation, but this is not the case with all western countries.

"Because of the immobilization of refugees during flight and the general risk of dehydration, measures should be undertaken to prevent limb thrombosis," write the authors. In addition they suggest that the level of oxygen in the refugees' blood should be tested, to check whether they would benefit from the provision of supplementary oxygen.

The authors also highlight the possible transmission of respiratory infections, such as tuberculosis, from refugees, especially during flights of longer than eight hours.

This release is based on the following article:
Medical risks during flight deportation of refugees
Mirzaei S, Lipp RW, Rodrigues M, Knoll P
International Journal for Equity in Health, 2003 2:9
Published 30 October 2003

This article is available without restriction, as per the journal's open access policy, at:
http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/2/1/9/abstract

For further information about this article please contact Siroos Mirzaei by email at siroos.mirzaei@wienkav.at or by phone on 43-1-4915-03681

About International Journal for Equity in Health:
International Journal for Equity in Health is an open access, online journal that publishes papers about the influences on and interventions and inequities in health. International Journal for Equity in Health is published by BioMed Central.

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