Systematic review reveals severe infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance in displaced populations, indicating urgent healthcare needs.
Key Points
This systematic review aims to synthesize evidence on infectious disease epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance patterns in displaced populations during humanitarian emergencies.
Systematic review of studies published from January 2015 to March 2026
Data sourced from PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus
A total of 61 studies from 28 countries reporting laboratory-confirmed infections or antimicrobial susceptibility data included.
Severe antimicrobial resistance rates identified: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus up to 94.4%, multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales over 80%, and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii exceeding 70%.
Transborder dissemination of drug-resistant organisms documented, particularly among Ukrainian medical evacuations and Syrian refugee movements.
Conflict-affected countries have significantly fewer AMR surveillance sites (0.16 vs. 0.76 per million population; P < 0.001), indicating underestimation of AMR burden.