Guidance

Eswatini (Swaziland): migrant health guide

Advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients from Eswatini (Swaziland) for healthcare practitioners.

Main messages

If the patient is new to the UK:

  • explain to them how the NHS works
  • discuss how this compares to the healthcare system they’ve been used to

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

Screen all new entrants, including children, for tuberculosis (TB).

Offer and recommend an HIV test to all adults from Eswatini, 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

Consider screening for hepatitis B, particularly among those who have recently arrived. Eswatini has a high prevalence.

Ask opportunistically about any travel plans the patient may have to visit friends and relatives in their country of origin, and see National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), or the Health Protection Scotland websites (TRAVAX and fitfortravel), for travel advice.

There is a high risk of malaria in Eswatini.

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 Eswatini (40 to 499 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 Eswatini (>1%), so:

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 Swaziland 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

Swaziland 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

Swaziland has a higher prevalence of hepatitis C than the UK, so consider screening for hepatitis C if other risk factors apply.

Travel plans and advice

Ask opportunistically about any travel plans the patient may have to visit friends and relatives in their country of origin, and see National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), or the Health Protection Scotland websites (TRAVAX and fitfortravel), for travel advice.

Malaria

There is a high risk of malaria in Eswatini, so:

Typhoid

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

  • ensure that travellers to Eswatini 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 Swaziland

Helminths

There is a risk of helminth infections in Eswatini, including:

  • schistosomiasis
  • soil transmitted helminthiasis

Women’s health

Reproductive health indicators

Reproductive health indicator UK Eswatini
Number of children per woman¹ 2 4
Use of contraception² 82% 46%
Breast examination or mammography³ 75% 5%
Cervical cancer screening⁴ 70% 4%

¹lifetime average; ²by woman of reproductive age or partner; ³women aged 50 to 69 years; ⁴women aged 20 to 69 years

Nutritional and metabolic concerns

Anaemia

There is a low risk of anaemia in adults (estimated prevalence is 5 to 20%) and a high risk in pre-school children (estimated prevalence is >40%), so:

  • be alert to this possibility in recently arrived migrants, particularly for 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:

  • covering their body for cultural or religious reasons (lack of sunlight)
  • skin colour
  • diet (vegan or vegetarian)

Vitamin A

There is a high risk of vitamin A deficiency in Eswatini.

Country profile

Health indicators and health care

WHO Global Health Observatory has a summary of health indicators and health care in Eswatini.

Culture, politics and history

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

Languages

The main languages used in Eswatini are:

  • English (official, used for government business)
  • siSwati (official)

Source: The World Factbook

Religions

Religion Population (%)
Zionist¹ 40
Roman Catholic 20
Muslim 10
Other² 30

¹a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship; ²includes Anglican, Baha’i, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish

Source: The World Factbook

Migration to the UK

There were over 1,000 people from Eswatini living in England and Wales at the time of the 2011 Census.

Source: Office for National Statistics

Updates to this page

Published 31 July 2014
Last updated 30 May 2019 + show all updates
  1. Updated country name from Swaziland to Eswatini. Updated TB guidance based on the latest World Health Organization (WHO) data.

  2. First published.

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