Health status of a migrant population: a survey within an Extraordinary Reception Centre in Parma, Northern Italy

The steady flow of migrants is an ongoing challenge that requires health systems to adapt to unique health needs and to address inequalities. For this reason, comprehensive screening, early intervention, and culturally sensitive care are vital to improve migrants’ health outcomes. We assessed migration history and health status in 536 migrants housed at “Svoltare ONLUS”, an Extraordinary Reception Centre in Parma (Northern Italy), from 2015 to 2018. The focus was on migration journey characteristics and motivations, and testing for infectious diseases such as hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV), HIV, tuberculosis (TB), syphilis, and parasitosis. Migrants were overwhelmingly male (95.9%), with a mean (range) age of 26 (18–50) years. The majority originated from Sub-Saharan Africa (83.2%), with Nigeria as the predominant country. Most migrants entered via Libya (87.1%), disembarking primarily in Southern Italy, particularly Sicily (75.4%). High prevalence rates were found for HBV (48.8%), TB (27.8%), and parasitosis (23.1%), particularly among those from Western Africa. In contrast, HCV (2.61%), chronic hepatitis (5.41%), syphilis (2.99%), and HIV (1.31%) were less common. These trends are consistent with disease epidemiology in migrants’ countries of origin as well those visited during the journey. Given the higher prevalence of infectious diseases among migrants compared to the general population in Italy, it is essential to enhance public health measures. This includes implementing timely screening services, targeted surveillance, and prompt treatment upon arrival at reception centers to protect both migrant and community health.