New guidelines by Canada health officials for new immigrants

Canada, 27th July: Canadian Collaboration for Immigrant and Refugee Health has issued new health care guidelines for newcomers in Canada.

This is being done in response to the fact that majority of immigrants do not get requisite vaccines to seek protection against tropical illnesses.

The new healthcare initiative aimed towards improved health of new immigrants as well as refugees in Canada is being regarded as the most comprehensive guide by Canada.

Guide focuses on health of immigrants in Canada—The 100-page detailed guide contains results from around 150 researchers and brings forth medical problems found widely among refugees and immigrants in Canada. The guide has been published by CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) this Monday.

The report maintains that majority of the ailments confronted by immigrants coming to Canada are largely due to ignorance. Hence, such medical problems commonly get overlooked since they are found in Canadian population, thus adding to the woes of immigrants.

Health interventions for immigrants coming to Canada--According to co-author of the report titled ‘Evidence-based Clinical Guidelines for Immigrants and Refugees’, Dr. Kevin Pottie from the University of Ottawa, says that immigrants coming to Canada hail from varied nations of the world. While some come under family class, others might be refugees.

Hence, there is a compelling need for focusing on preventable as well as treatable medical ailments that might become prevalent among immigrants. Doctors must be aware of this, he asserted.

Health is a basic human right and it requires small but indispensable interventions for immigrants and refugees, Pottie added.

The guide offers some basic instructions to be followed by physicians on dealing with potential health risks faced by immigrants.

The report also adds that physicians must ask their immigrant patients to make at least two visits in a year keeping in view the fact that healthy immigrant effect is going down among immigrants after arrival in Canada.

Recommendations by the new guide—

• Vaccination and screening for children and adults from nations with history of chronic hepatitis B infections.

• Vaccinations for measles, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, rubella, diphtheria and mumps for adults without records of immunizations.

• Screening of adults and adolescents from nations with prevalence of HIV.

• Screening of women and children(ages between one and four) for iron-deficiency anemia.

• Checking of immigrants for dental pain.

• Immigrants above 35 years from Africa, South Asia and Latin America must be screened for Type 2 Diabetes.