TY  - JOUR
A1  - Müller, Frank
A1  - Hummers, Eva
A1  - Hillermann, Nele
A1  - Dopfer, Christian
A1  - Jablonka, Alexandra
A1  - Friede, Tim
A1  - Simmenroth, Anne
A1  - Wetzke, Martin
T1  - Factors influencing the frequency of airway infections in underage refugees: a retrospective, cross sectional study
T2  - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
N2  - Background: Infections are a leading cause of refugee morbidity. Recent data on the rate of airway infections and factors influencing their spread in refugee reception centers is scarce. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study of de-identified medical records with a focus on respiratory infections in underage refugees was conducted at two large German refugee reception centers. Results: In total, medical data from n = 10,431 refugees over an observational period of n = 819 days was analyzed. Among pediatric patients (n = 4289), 55.3% presented at least once to the on-site medical ward with an acute respiratory infection or signs thereof. In 38.4% of pediatric consultations, acute airway infections or signs thereof were present. Airway infections spiked during colder months and were significantly more prevalent amongst preschool and resettled children. Their frequency displayed a positive correlation with the number of refugees housed at the reception centers. Conclusions: We show that respiratory infections are a leading cause for morbidity in young refugees and that their rate is influenced age, season, status, and residential density. This illustrates the need to protect refugee children from contracting airway infections which may also reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the current pandemic.
KW  - refugees
KW  - migrants
KW  - respiratory infection
KW  - children
KW  - adolescents
KW  - seasonality
KW  - crowded housing
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - containment
Y1  - 2020
UR  - https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/21313
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-213134
SN  - 1660-4601
VL  - 17
IS  - 18
ER  -