Geneva, June 2024:

This policy statement is open to comments. Please send your feedback to easloffice@easloffice.eu. The final statement will be updated and released in summer 2024. This statement was developed in collaboration with the ECDC and WHO, the official endorsment process is ongoing.

Improving and strengthening the public health response to migrant health needs is key to improving liver health and eliminating hepatitis in the European region. The European Region is facing large numbers of people on the move with increasing numbers of vulnerable migrants, such as displaced persons, refugees and asylum seekers, who often face poor health outcomes including poor liver health. The term migrant in this document includes specifically the following vulnerable migrant groups defined by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM): asylum seekers, refugees, migrants in irregular situations and undocumented migrants as well as migrants, once at their destination, are marginalized and facing vulnerabilities, such as language barriers, difficulties integrating and xenophobia. Addressing the health needs of these populations is a priority and integral to the principle of the right to health for all. Even though many countries in the WHO European region have prioritised equity in their Universal Health Coverage (UHC) commitments, gaps persist in policy implementation related to migrant populations. This policy recommendation updates actions related to migrants’ liver health aiming to reduce health inequities through universal health coverage (UHC), leaving no migrant behind in the WHO European Region.