Georgia: migrant health guide
Advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients from Georgia for healthcare practitioners.
Main messages
If the patient is new to the UK:
- explain to them how the NHS works and their entitlements healthcare
- discuss how this compares to the healthcare system they’ve been used to
- follow guidance on how to comprehensively assess new migrant patients
- ensure that they are up to date with the UK immunisation schedule
- ask about any travel plans the patient may have to visit friends and relatives in their country of origin
Screen all new entrants, including children, for tuberculosis (TB).
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.
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
The incidence of TB in Georgia is high (40 to 499 cases per 100,000), and there is also a high burden of MDR-TB, so:
- screen all new entrants, including children, for TB according to NICE guidelines
- refer to TB services promptly if screening is positive
- seek advice, if you are a local TB service, from the MDR-TB Clinical Advice Service before treating patients from Georgia for TB
- 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
Take a sexual history, and:
- screen for STIs and HIV according to risk as specified in the UK national standards and guidelines
- test all sexually active patients under the age of 25 for chlamydia
Georgia has a low rate of HIV (≤1%), so offer and recommend an HIV test if the patient:
- falls into a high-risk group
- is newly registering in a high prevalence area
Hepatitis B
Georgia 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
Georgia has a considerably higher prevalence of hepatitis C than the UK, so consider screening for hepatitis C.
Malaria
There is a very low risk of malaria in Georgia, mainly due to P. vivax, so:
- test any unwell patient who has travelled to-and-from affected areas of Georgia in the last year
- remember that malaria can be rapidly fatal
Typhoid
There is a risk of typhoid infection in Georgia, so:
- ensure that travellers to Georgia 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 Georgia
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 pre-school children (estimated prevalence is 20 to 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 may be a risk of vitamin A deficiency.
Women’s health
Reproductive health indicators
| Reproductive health indicator | UK | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of children per woman¹ | 1.7 | 2.1 |
| Use of contraception² | 71.7% | 40.6% |
¹lifetime average; ²by woman of reproductive age or partner
Country profile
Health indicators and health care
The World Health Orgaization Global Health Observatory has a summary of health indicators and health care in Georgia.
Culture, politics and history
BBC News and The World Factbook provide background information on the culture, politics and history of Georgia.
Languages
| Language | Population (%) |
|---|---|
| Georgian (official) | 87.6 |
| Azeri | 6.2 |
| Armenian | 3.9 |
| Russian | 1.2 |
| Other | 1 |
Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia.
Religions
| Religion | Population (%) |
|---|---|
| Orthodox (official) | 83.4 |
| Muslim | 10.7 |
| Armenian Apostolic | 2.9 |
| Other¹ | 1.2 |
| Unspecified | 1.2 |
| None | 0.5 |
¹includes Catholic, Jehovah’s Witness, Yazidi, Protestant, Jewish
Source: The World Factbook
Migration to the UK
There were over 3,000 people from Georgia living in England and Wales at the time of the 2011 Census.
Source: Office for National Statistics
Last updated 15 September 2021 + show all updates
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Updated country guidance on prevalence of communicable diseases and other health topics.
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First published.