Lesotho: migrant health guide
Advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients from Lesotho for healthcare practitioners.
Main messages
If the patient is new to the UK:
- explain to them how the NHS works and their entitlements to 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 from Lesotho, 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
Due to a high prevalence, consider screening for hepatitis B, particularly among those who have recently arrived.
There is a risk of typhoid infection.
Consider nutritional and metabolic concerns.
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 very high incidence of TB in Lesotho (>500 cases/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 Lesotho (>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 Lesotho 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
Hepatitis B
There is 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 a universal infant immunisation programme for hepatitis B and a selective immunisation programme for higher risk groups
Hepatitis C
The prevalence of hepatitis C is higher than the UK, so consider screening for hepatitis C if other risk factors apply.
Typhoid
There is a risk of typhoid infection in Lesotho, so:
- ensure that travellers to Lesotho 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 Lesotho
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 moderate risk of anaemia in adults (estimated prevalence in non-pregnant women is 20% to 40%) and a high risk in 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 may be a risk of vitamin A deficiency.
Women’s health
Reproductive health indicators
| Reproductive health indicator | UK | Lesotho |
|---|---|---|
| Number of children per woman¹ | 1.7 | 3.1 |
| Use of contraception² | 71.7% | 64.9% |
¹lifetime average; ²by woman of reproductive age or partner
Country profile
Health indicators and health care
WHO Global Health Observatory has a summary of health indicators and health care in Lesotho.
Culture, politics and history
BBC News and The World Factbook provide background information on the culture, politics and history of Lesotho.
Languages
The main languages used in Lesotho are:
- Sesotho (official; southern Sotho)
- English (official)
- Zulu
- Xhosa
Source: The World Factbook.
Religions
| Religion | Population (%) |
|---|---|
| Protestant¹ | 47.8 |
| Roman Catholic | 39.3 |
| Other Christian | 9.1 |
| Non-Christian | 1.4 |
| None | 2.3 |
¹Pentecostal 23.1%, Lesotho Evangelical 17.3%, Anglican 7.4%
Source: The World Factbook.
Migration to the UK
There were over 700 people from Lesotho living in England and Wales at the time of the 2011 Census.
Source: Office for National Statistics.
Updates to this page
Published 31 July 2014Last updated 21 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.