Infectious diseases, and risk factors among refugees, people living in underserved neighbourhoods, migrant, and internally displaced populations: a systematic review.

Authors

Fingani Annie Mphande Nyasulu, Edith Bridget Milanzi, Amos Kachipedzu, Shareef Ngunguni, Anastanzia Nancy Chisambo, Edna Ibrahim, Ndaziona Immaculate Majeza, Manley Kamija Msiska, Lyson Samikwa, Chisomo Lawrence Msefula

Published in

BMC public health. Jul 11, 2026. Epub Jul 11, 2026.

Abstract

People living in overcrowded conditions, with limited access to healthcare face a myriad of challenges including infectious diseases. The burden of infections in underserved neighbourhoods, and in camps hosting displaced populations (Refugees and Internally displaced populations (IDPs)) is often overlooked. This systematic review evaluates the prevalence of infectious diseases among people living in underserved neighbourhoods (PLIUSN), refugees, and IDPs, to consolidate current evidence and provide baseline information for interventions.
This systematic review is reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (PROSPERO number CRD 42020193633). A systematic analysis of articles from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2022 was conducted and 4572 records were identified from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and organizational websites (International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), The World Health Organization (WHO)). Title and abstract screening identified 276 articles for full text screening, and 69 articles were included for this review.
Out of 142 infectious disease events reported, respiratory diseases were the most reported infections (39, 27.46%), followed by Hepatitis B (25, 17.41%), diarrhoeal diseases (20, 14.08%), parasitic diseases (19, 13.38%), and HIV (18, 12.68%). The remaining 28.73% (21) included other sexually transmitted diseases (excluding HIV), skin infections, Hepatitis E, and helminth infections. Refugees (54.79%, 40) and IDPs (20.55%, 15) had higher rates of infections compared to PLIUSN with 2.74% (2). The review identified four risk factors associated with the burden of infection: disease diagnosis, access/use of health services, living conditions and geographical location, and human factors.
These findings emphasize the risk of infectious diseases associated with PLIUSN and displaced populations. It also highlights associated risk among these populations; as such addressing these factors namely, access/utilization of health services, living conditions and geographical factors, and human factors is recommended.

PMID:
42436456
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Jul 2026.

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