Availability of indicators of migration in the surveillance of HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis B in the European Union – a short note

Background and aim Data regarding infectious diseases in migrant populations in Europe are scarce. We aimed to assess whether information on migration status is collected in countries of the European Union (EU) as part of their national surveillance systems for major infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis B infection). Methods Using different electronic sources we collected information about whether indicators of migration status were collected in national infectious diseases surveillance systems in European countries. Results Of 27 EU countries, migration status was recorded in all 27 countries for TB surveillance (100%), in 22 countries for HIV (~82%) and in 23 countries for AIDS (~85%). Eight of 20 countries (40%) recorded migration status in hepatitis B surveillance systems. The most commonly recorded indicator of migration status was country of birth. Among countries which conducted migrant specific surveillance, country of birth was collected in ~82% of TB, ~86% of HIV, and ~83% of AIDS surveillance systems. Other indicators of the migration status were ethnicity (used in HIV and AIDS surveillance) and citizenship (TB surveillance). Conclusion We showed differences in how migration status is recorded in surveillance systems from European countries. This was especially true for tuberculoses and hepatitis B, whereas data collection as part of HIV/AIDS surveillance was nearly uniform. These results suggest the need for a more uniform reporting of migration status as part of infectious disease surveillance in EU countries.