Some of the hyped claims and concerns over health risks from migrant children stem from ignorance, if not racial prejudice. The answer to responding to disease challenges is not scaremongering, not pointing fingers at migrant children, but rather ensuring that appropriate treatment is in place for them, regardless of where geographic borders lie.
Scaremongering about the health of migrant children when there is no significant health threat – why is this a medical issue and what can healthcare professionals and students do to fight against racial stigmas?
Migrant Children and Health: Borders, Boundaries, and Bigotry on Vimeo
To raise awareness on the issue of scaremongering among medical professionals and those in training, the Migrant Children and Health Campaign created a video featuring leaders in immigrant and refugee health advocacy. This video introduces the facts about migrant children health, and the continued history of racial and ethnic disease scaremongering in the US. The video was created in partnership with EthnoMed, the Duke University Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke Program on Global Health and Technology Access, and the UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America.
Additional Resources
Central American (Guatemalan, Honduran, Salvadoran) Minors Refugee Health Profile
This refugee health profile from the Minnesota Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health includes background, population movements, healthcare access in Central America, and priority health conditions to consider when serving Central American minors in healthcare settings.
Migrant Clinicians Network: Child Health
Webpage with several considerations for health of migrant children.
A Path to Meeting the Medical and Mental Health Needs of Unaccompanied Children in U.S. Communities
A 2022 report by Migration Policy Institute discussing health needs of unaccompanied children in the United States, barriers to health services for this population, and promising practices for ensuring healthcare services.
Health Risks of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in Federal Custody and in US Communities. Young, Janine et al. (2024) American Journal of Public Health, 114(3): 340-346. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2023.307570.
Fact Sheet on Migrant Children Entering the United States
Fact sheet with references and information about the health status of migrant children crossing at US borders. Produced collaboratively by representatives of UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America, Duke Sanford Program on Global Health and Technology Access and EthnoMed.
Harvard Public Health Review “Refugee Health”
The April 2016 issue of the Harvard Public Health Review focused on Refugee Health with six articles on various aspects of refugee health. EthnoMed is featured in “Healthcare Recommendations for Recently Arrived Refugees: Observations from EthnoMed”. The Review can be freely accessed and is committed to the mission of advancing the public’s health through learning and communication.