WHO official warns of epidemic due to illegal migrants

Budapest, June 26 (MTI) – The mass appearance in Hungary of illegal migrants could be a source of epidemics, the European regional director of the World Health Organisation has said.

In an interview to Friday’s Napi Gazdasag daily, Zsuzsanna Jakab said that for a long time the prevalence of infectious diseases in Europe has been low thanks to inoculations against such sicknesses as polio which “in some Middle Eastern countries is still endemic”.

She said it is not likely that migrants will bring such viruses as Ebola or SARS since they do not come from areas where these are prevalent. Nevertheless, the WHO European headquarters is keeping in close touch with its African and Middle Eastern offices in a bid to block any spread of infectious diseases, she said.

The health aspects of illegal migration will be a highlighted topic at a ministerial conference to be organised by the WHO in September, Jakab added.

Photo: www.alzheimer-belgium.be

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters