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Human migration, conflict and infectious diseases



Armed conflict poses a major threat to societal wellbeing. Overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, disruption of, and reduced access to, medical and public health services, exposure of affected populations to novel pathogens, and food shortage can increase the risk of infectious diseases and their sequelae. 

This article collection will bring together research, case reports and viewpoints to strengthen understanding on the risks posed by infectious disease and effective and appropriate public health responses during times of armed conflict and forced migration. 

The journals participating in this collection are:

Conflict and Health
Globalization and Health
Gut Pathogens
Infectious Diseases of Poverty
Malaria Journal
One Health Outlook
Parasites & Vectors

Manuscripts should be formatted according to individual journal guidelines and submitted via the online submission system. In the submission system please make sure that the correct collection title is chosen at the 'Additional Information' step. Please also indicate clearly in the covering letter that the manuscript is to be considered for this collection.

Pre-submission enquiries are welcome.

Submission deadline: December 31st 2022

  1. Livelihood activities and human movements participate in the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases and influence malaria risk in elimination settings. In Saudi Arabia, where malaria transmission intensity vari...

    Authors: Shaymaa A. Abdalal, Joshua Yukich, Katherine Andrinopoulos, Maimonah Alghanmi, Majed H. Wakid, Ayat Zawawi, Steve Harakeh, Sarah A. Altwaim, Hattan Gattan, Fadi Baakdah, Mahmoud A. Gaddoury, Hatoon A. Niyazi, Jawahir A. Mokhtar, Mohammed H. Alruhaili, Isra Alsaady, Rowa Alhabbab…
    Citation: Malaria Journal 2023 22:53
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. The article outlines socio-medical challenges faced by a country hosting refugees. Since the full-scale Russian invasion, more than 3.6 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland. Among these, a 9-year-old post-tr...

    Authors: Marcin Śniadecki and Zuzanna Boyke
    Citation: Globalization and Health 2022 18:88
    Content type: Letter to the Editor Published on:

  3. The consumption of uncooked or undercooked food from infected intermediate hosts can result in Toxoplasma gondii infection in humans. However, few studies have investigated the genetic diversity of this protozoan...

    Authors: Afsaneh Amouei, Shahabeddin Sarvi, Azadeh Mizani, Mohammad Bagher Hashemi-Soteh, Saeid Salehi, Javad Javidnia, Seyed Abdollah Hosseini, Fateme Amuei, Ahad Alizadeh, Shafigheh Shabanzade, Sara Gholami and Ahmad Daryani
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:255
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Cameroon’s Southwest Region (SW) has been hit by an armed conflict for over half a decade now, negatively affecting the region’s routine immunization and disease surveillance activities. This negative effect w...

    Authors: Andreas Ateke Njoh, Yauba Saidu, Hassan Ben Bachir, Shalom Tchokfe Ndoula, Eric Mboke, Raoul Nembot, Afizu Chrakoh Tambasho, Messang Blandine Abizou, Judith Seungue, Clarence Mbanga and Victor Njie Mbome
    Citation: Conflict and Health 2022 16:29
    Content type: Research in practice Published on:

  5. Global threats to health and health security are growing. Fragile and failed states, armed groups, ungoverned spaces, outbreaks and potential unknown “Disease X” threats, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), hybrid...

    Authors: John M Quinn, Trisha Jigar, Michael Reinwald, Percy S T Annan, Thomas Aapore, James M Wilson, Margaret Ellis Bourdeaux, Timo Ulrichs, Martin CM Bricknell, Alan Moore, Stefan Goebbels and Christian Haggenmiller
    Citation: Globalization and Health 2022 18:39
    Content type: Short report Published on:

  6. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are a crucial suite of measures to prevent and control infectious disease outbreaks. Despite being particularly important for crisis-affected populations and those livin...

    Authors: Jonathan A. Polonsky, Sangeeta Bhatia, Keith Fraser, Arran Hamlet, Janetta Skarp, Isaac J. Stopard, Stéphane Hugonnet, Laurent Kaiser, Christian Lengeler, Karl Blanchet and Paul Spiegel
    Citation: Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2022 11:14
    Content type: Scoping Review Published on:

  7. The Syrian conflict has dramatically changed the public health landscape of Syria since its onset in March of 2011. Depleted resources, fractured health systems, and increased security risks have disrupted man...

    Authors: Sammy Mehtar, Naser AlMhawish, Kasim Shobak, Art Reingold, Debarati Guha-Sapir and Rohini J. Haar
    Citation: Conflict and Health 2021 15:95
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. The use and implementation of novel tools for malaria control such as long lasting impregnated bednets (LLINs) and Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) over the last decade has contributed to a substantial reduction...

    Authors: Christophe Boëte, Sakib Burza, Estrella Lasry, Silvia Moriana and William Robertson
    Citation: Conflict and Health 2021 15:93
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. Myanmar has had a long history of civil wars with its minority ethnic groups and is yet to see a sustainable peace accord. The conflicts have had a significant impact on health in Myanmar, with ethnic populati...

    Authors: Colette Pang Biesty, Aung Ja Brang and Barry Munslow
    Citation: Conflict and Health 2021 15:60
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Mining in the Amazon exposes gold miners to various diseases, including malaria, whose control is still a major challenge. The environment of the mines contributes to the proliferation of vector mosquitoes and...

    Authors: Felipe L. G. Murta, Leonardo L. G. Marques, Alicia P. C. Santos, Talita S. B. Batista, Maxwell O. Mendes, Elair D. Silva, Alexandre V. S. Neto, Marcio Fabiano, Sheila R. Rodovalho, Wuelton M. Monteiro and Marcus V. G. Lacerda
    Citation: Malaria Journal 2021 20:286
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. The western area of the province of Almeria, sited in southern Spain, has one of the highest immigrant population rates in Spain, mainly dedicated to agricultural work. In recent years, there has been a signif...

    Authors: Joaquín Pousibet-Puerto, Ana Belén Lozano-Serrano, Manuel Jesús Soriano-Pérez, José Vázquez-Villegas, María José Giménez-López, María Isabel Cabeza-Barrera, José Ángel Cuenca-Gómez, Matilde Palanca-Giménez, María Pilar Luzón-García, Nerea Castillo-Fernández, María Teresa Cabezas-Fernández and Joaquín Salas-Coronas
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:240
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Refugees and internally displaced persons in humanitarian settings are particularly susceptible to the spread of infectious illnesses such as COVID-19 due to overcrowding and inadequate access to clean water, ...

    Authors: Jude Alawa, Nawara Alawa, Adam Coutts, Richard Sullivan, Kaveh Khoshnood and Fouad M. Fouad
    Citation: Conflict and Health 2020 14:64
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

  13. The World Health Organisation Western Pacific Region countries were declared free of polio in 2000 until a polio outbreak involving 305 cases occurred in Indonesia in 2006. It was not until 2014 that the World...

    Authors: Long Chiau Ming, Zahid Hussain, Siang Fei Yeoh, David Koh and Kah Seng Lee
    Citation: Globalization and Health 2020 16:63
    Content type: Letter to the Editor Published on:

  14. Internal migration places individuals at high risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB). However, there is a scarcity of national-level spatial analyses regarding the association between TB and internal migration ...

    Authors: Wei-Bin Liao, Ke Ju, Ya-Min Gao and Jay Pan
    Citation: Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2020 9:5
    Content type: Research Article Published on: