Guidance

Guyana: migrant health guide

Advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients from Guyana for healthcare practitioners.

From:
Public Health England
Published
31 July 2014
Last updated
16 September 2021 — See all updates

Main messages

If the patient is new to the UK:

Screen all new entrants, including children, for tuberculosis (TB).

Offer and recommend an HIV test to all adults, and consider offering an HIV test to infants and children who have recently arrived in the UK.

Offer to all sexually active individuals:

  • a full sexual health screen
  • safer sex health promotion advice

Due to an intermediate prevalence, consider screening for hepatitis B, particularly among those who have recently arrived.

Consider screening for hepatitis C, because of a considerably higher prevalence than the UK.

There is a risk of malaria in some areas.

Be alert for possible cases of Chagas disease, and refer as appropriate, because there is a risk of chronic Chagas disease in migrants.

The prevalence of HTLV is high.

Infectious diseases

Immunisation

Ensure that all patients, especially children, are up-to-date with the UK immunisation schedule. See Immunisation collection with complete schedules.

Tuberculosis

There is a high incidence of TB in Guyana (40 to 499 cases per 100,000), so:

  • screen all new entrants (including children) for TB according to NICE guidelines
  • refer to TB services promptly if screening is positive
  • maintain long term vigilance for symptoms of TB even if initial screening is negative
  • be aware that TB is a notifiable disease

Sexually transmitted infections and HIV

There is a high rate of HIV in Guyana (>1%), so:

Although recent global data on STIs are not available, countries with high HIV rates tend to have higher rates of STIs, and the range of STIs encountered in Guyana may vary from those in the UK, so offer to sexually active individuals:

  • a full sexual health screen
  • safer sex health promotion advice by referral to local genito-urinary medicine services

HTLV

The prevalence of Human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) is high . Refer to further HTLV guidance about testing and treatment.

Hepatitis B

Guyana has an intermediate prevalence of hepatitis B, so:

  • consider screening for hepatitis B, particularly those who have recently arrived
  • offer screening for hepatitis B to all pregnant women during each pregnancy
  • immunise appropriately babies born to mothers who are hepatitis B positive, and follow-up accordingly
  • be aware that the UK has a universal infant immunisation programme for hepatitis B and a selective immunisation programme for higher risk groups

Hepatitis C

Guyana has a considerably higher prevalence of hepatitis C than the UK, so consider screening for hepatitis C.

Malaria

There is a risk of malaria, in some areas, due to P. falciparum and P. vivax, so:

  • test any unwell patient who has travelled to-and-from affected areas in the last year
  • remember that malaria can be rapidly fatal

Typhoid

There is a risk of typhoid infection in Guyana, so:

  • ensure that travellers to Guyana are offered typhoid immunisation and advice on prevention of enteric fever
  • remember enteric fever in the differential diagnosis of illness in patients with a recent history of travel to-or-from Guyana

Helminths

There is a risk of soil transmitted helminth infections.

Chagas

There is a risk of chronic Chagas disease in migrants from Guyana, so:

  • be alert for possible cases
  • refer as appropriate

Travel plans and advice

Ask opportunistically about any travel plans the patient may have to visit friends and relatives in their country of origin. People who travel to visit friends and relatives (VFR travellers) should visit the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for overseas travel advice and National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) for country specific travel advice prior to leaving the UK.

Nutritional and metabolic concerns

Anaemia

There is a moderate risk of anaemia in adults (estimated prevalence in non-pregnant women is 20 to 40%) and a high risk in pre-school children (estimated prevalence is >40%), so:

  • be alert to the possibility of anaemia in recently arrived migrants, particularly women and pre-school children
  • test as clinically indicated

Vitamin D

Consider the possibility of vitamin D deficiency in people who may be at risk due to:

  • darker skin
  • those who are not often outdoors
  • those who cover up most of their skin when outdoors

Vitamin A

There is a risk of vitamin A deficiency in Guyana.

Women’s health

Reproductive health indicators

Reproductive health indicator UK Guyana
Number of children per woman¹ 1.7 2.4
Use of contraception² 71.7% 33.9%

¹lifetime average; ²by woman of reproductive age or partner

Country profile

Health indicators and health care

WHO Global Health Observatory has a summary of health indicators and health care in Guyana.

Culture, politics and history

BBC News and The World Factbook provide background information on the culture, politics and history of Guyana.

Languages

The main languages used in Guyana are:

  • English (official)
  • Guyanese Creole
  • Amerindian languages (including Caribbean and Arawak languages)
  • Indian languages (including Caribbean Hindustani, a dialect of Hindi)
  • Chinese

Source: The World Factbook.

Religions

Religion Population (%)
Protestant¹ 34.8
Hindu 24.8
Roman Catholic 7.1
Muslim 6.8
Jehovah’s Witness 1.3
Rastafarian 0.5
Other Christian 20.8
Other 0.9
None 3.1

¹Pentecostal 22.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 5.2%, Methodist 1.4%

Source: The World Factbook.

Migration to the UK

There were over 21,000 people from Guyana living in England and Wales at the time of the 2011 Census.

Source: Office for National Statistics

Published 31 July 2014
Last updated 16 September 2021 + show all updates

  1. Updated country guidance on prevalence of communicable diseases and other health topics.

  2. First published.

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