The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the epidemiology and spectrum of infections of admitted pediatric refugees and asylum seekers in a tertiary referral hospital in a high-income country in Europe. We identified recent refugees and asylum seekers < 18 years of age admitted to the University Children's Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, in 2015. A retrospective analysis was performed using electronic patient records. We identified 105 admissions in 93 patients with a median age of 5.7 (IQR 2.6-14.5) years. Eritrea, Syria, and Afghanistan were the most frequent countries of origin. The median duration of admission was 4 (IQR 2-6) days with infections and elective surgical interventions being the most common reason (54.8 and 16.1%, respectively). Most infections were airway, skin, and gastrointestinal in 46.4, 20.2, and 11.9%, respectively. The prevalence of tropical infections was 11.9%. The main pathogens identified were influenza A virus (13.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (10.3%), and rhino/enterovirus (10.3%). Previous medical non-infectious conditions were recorded in 13%.
Conclusion: The study revealed a high burden of infections in admitted patients mostly caused by well-known pathogens prevalent also in the local population. Both tropical infections and pre-existing non-infectious conditions are also important in admitted patients. Better epidemiological data is required to optimize health care for this medically most vulnerable population in refugee crises. What is Known: • Pediatric refugees and asylum seekers are the most vulnerable population in refugee crises. • Data on health concerns and needs in this population is scarce. What is New: • This is one of the first studies on the epidemiology of pediatric refugees and asylum seekers treated as inpatients in a European high-income country. • The high burden of infections is mostly caused by well-known pathogens prevalent also in the local population.
Keywords: Children; Europe; Immigrant health; Infections in refugees; Refugee crisis; Unaccompanied refugee minor.