There is no danger from sick refugees

All content is checked by medical journalists.

They come from regions with diseases that do not exist in this country. You have had an odyssey full of privation under poor hygienic conditions. They are often not sufficiently vaccinated. Many of them are sick. The incoming refugees do not pose a threat to the general public.

"The disease is very unlikely to spread to the general population," the experts from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) wrote in a current publication. It lists all diseases that rarely or never occur in Germany and the doctors among asylum seekers should pay particular attention.

No human-to-human transmission

The list includes a total of 13 different diseases. A significant part of it - such as malaria, which is native to many countries of origin - is dangerous for the patients themselves, but cannot be transmitted from person to person. Others are mainly transmitted through contaminated food, such as typhoid. Still others such as B. Typhus require clothes lice as a vector. Helpers who are in closer contact with the refugees can protect themselves from these diseases by following appropriate hygiene recommendations.

Gastrointestinal infections, colds, parasites

In addition to the diseases listed in the list, the newcomers, who often only received contaminated water and food during the trip, often suffer from gastrointestinal infections. Because of hypothermia and the tightness of the means of transport, respiratory diseases are also common. In addition, there are parasitic diseases such as scabies and colonization with clothes lice due to poor hygienic conditions.

Tuberculosis is also more common in the countries of origin of many refugees than in Germany. In particular, a dormant infection can flare up due to the privations of travel. The newcomers are therefore quickly examined for pulmonary tuberculosis. This effectively counteracts any spread.

Have a fever cleared up

Naturally, the medical nursing staff is most at risk of infection. Anyone who develops a fever and a general feeling of illness after close contact with asylum seekers should therefore be examined in a specialized practice or clinic to be on the safe side. However, it is unlikely that a dangerous illness is behind the symptoms. As a rule, the refugees suffer from diseases that are also widespread in this country and that spread faster in the confines of the refugee homes: common colds, flu and gastrointestinal infections.

Diseases with no risk of spreading in communal facilities:

malaria
Symptoms: flare-ups, gastrointestinal complaints
Incubation period: 7 to 50 days.

Visceral leish corn
Symptoms: fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dark patchy skin pigmentation, distended abdomen
Incubation period: 2 to 6 months

Diseases with a low risk of spreading:

Relapsing lice fever
Symptoms: intermittent fever, itching, neurological symptoms
Incubation period: 5 to 15 days

Typhus
Symptoms: attacks of fever, itching, drowsiness
Incubation period: 1 to 2 weeks

Diseases at risk of infection from contaminated food

typhus
Symptoms: fever, constipation, bloated abdomen, drowsiness, slow pulse
Incubation period: 3 to 60 days

Amebic liver abscess
Symptoms: fever, pain in the liver area
Incubation period: days to months

Diseases with a general risk of infection:

Lassa fever
Symptoms: fever, sometimes bleeding
Incubation period: 6 to 21 days

Crimean Congo fever
Symptoms: high fever, slow pulse, sometimes diarrhea
Incubation period: 1 to 12 days