Migrants in transit across Central America and the potential spread of chloroquine resistant malaria–a call for action

Abstract

Human migration has shaped the distribution and patterns of infectious diseases transmission throughout history. Migration is one of the contributing factors that has played an important role in the dissemination of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. Central America and Mexico are important transit points of an increasing migrant flow originating from countries where chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum and vivax are prevalent. Surveillance systems, as well as detection and diagnostic capacities in the Central American region, are limited. The additional challenges imposed by the increasingly mobile population in the region are creating the perfect scenario for the emergence or re-emergence of infectious diseases, such as the introduction of chloroquine-resistant malaria. The development and implementation of transborder, collaborative, and ethical migrant health initiatives in the region are urgently needed. The health of migrant people in transit during their migratory route is of our collective interest and responsibility; their exclusion from health programs based on their legal status contradicts international human rights treaties and is inconsistent with ethical global public health practice.