Guidance

Guinea: migrant health guide

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

From:
Public Health England
Published
31 July 2014
Last updated
20 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

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 80% of women and girls in this country.

Infectious diseases

Immunisation

Ensure that all patients, especially children, are up-to-date with the UK immunisation schedule.

Tuberculosis (TB)

There is a high incidence of TB in Guinea (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 (>1%), so:

Be advised that 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 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 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 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, mainly due to P. falciparum, so:

Typhoid

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

  • ensure that travellers to Guinea 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

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 in pre-school children (estimated prevalence is >40%), in Guinea, 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 Guinea
Number of children per woman¹ 1.7 4.6
Use of contraception² 71.7% 10.9%

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

Female genital mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been estimated to affect more than 80% of women and girls in Guinea, so be advised that:

  • children born in the UK may be at risk of FGM during visits to friends and relatives in Guinea
  • 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

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.

Culture, politics and history

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

Languages

Languages spoken in Guinea include French (official), Pular, Maninka, Susu and other native languages. Approximately 40 languages are spoken. Each ethnic group has its own language.

Source: The World Factbook.

Religions

Religion Population (%)
Muslim 89.1
Christian 6.8
Animist 1.6
Other 0.1
None 2.4

Source: The World Factbook.

Migration to the UK

There were over 2,000 people from Guinea living in England and Wales at the time of the 2011 Census.

Source: Office for National Statistics © Crown Copyright 2014.

Updates to this page

Published 31 July 2014
Last updated 20 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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