Guinea-Bissau: migrant health guide
Advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients from Guinea-Bissau 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).
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
The prevalence of HTLV is high.
Due to a high 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 high risk of malaria.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been estimated to affect more than 30% of women and girls.
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 Guinea-Bissau (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 Guinea-Bissau (>1%), so:
- offer and recommend an HIV test to all adults according to UK national testing guidelines
- consider offering an HIV test to infants and children who have recently arrived in the UK according to UK national testing guidelines
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 Guinea-Bissau 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
Guinea-Bissau has a high 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
Guinea-Bissau has a considerably higher prevalence of hepatitis C than the UK, so consider screening for hepatitis C.
Malaria
There is a high risk of malaria in Guinea-Bissau, mainly due to P. falciparum, so:
- test any unwell patient who has travelled to-and-from affected areas of Guinea-Bissau in the last year
- remember that malaria can be rapidly fatal
Typhoid
There is a risk of typhoid infection in Guinea-Bissau, so:
- ensure that travellers to Guinea-Bissau 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 Guinea-Bissau
Helminths
There is a risk of soil transmitted helminth infections.
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 high risk of anaemia in adults (estimated prevalence in non-pregnant women is >40%) and 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.
Women’s health
Reproductive health indicators
| Reproductive health indicator | UK | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
| Number of children per woman¹ | 1.7 | 4.4 |
| Use of contraception² | 71.7% | 16.0% |
¹lifetime average; ²by woman of reproductive age or partner
Female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been estimated to affect more than 30% of women and girls in Guinea-Bissau, so be advised that:
- children born in the UK may be at risk of FGM during visits to friends and relatives in Guinea-Bissau
- it is illegal to take girls who are British nationals or permanent residents of the UK abroad for FGM, whether or not it is lawful in Guinea-Bissau
Contact the police if you think that a girl or young woman is in immediate danger of FGM. You should also contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office if she has already been taken abroad.
Country profile
Health indicators and health care
WHO Global Health Observatory has a summary of health indicators and health care in Guinea-Bissau.
Culture, politics and history
BBC News and The World Factbook provide background information on the culture, politics and history of Guinea-Bissau.
Languages
The main languages used in Guinea-Bissau are Portuguese-based Creole, Portuguese (official, largely used as a second or third language), Pular (a Fula language) and Mandingo.
Source: The World Factbook
Religions
| Religion | Population (%) |
|---|---|
| Muslim | 45.1 |
| Christian | 22.1 |
| Animist | 14.9 |
| None | 2 |
| Unspecified | 15.9 |
Source: The World Factbook
Migration to the UK
There were over 2,000 people from Guinea-Bissau living in England and Wales at the time of the 2011 Census.
Source: Office for National Statistics
Last updated 16 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.