Migrant health

The Health Protection Agency (HPA)'s second report on migrant health notes that a small proportion of the UK's migrant population bears "the greatest burden of infectious disease reported in the UK". The report emphasises the important role primary care practitioners play in early identification of infectious diseases. Repeating the message from the previous baseline report, the HPA calls for primary care to ensure access to culturally competent and language supported services. A recent study of participation in a cervical screening programme by Polish, Slovak and Romanian women in London confirms this need for language support.