Guidance

Trinidad and Tobago: migrant health guide

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

From:
Public Health England
Published
31 July 2014

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.

Offer and recommend an HIV test to all adults from Trinidad and Tobago, 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, because Trinidad and Tobago has an intermediate prevalence.

Consider screening for hepatitis C, because Trinidad and Tobago has a considerably higher prevalence of hepatitis C than the UK.

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.

Be advised that there is a risk of typhoid infection in Trinidad and Tobago

Consider nutritional and metabolic concerns.

Infectious diseases

Immunisation

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

Tuberculosis (TB)

There is a low incidence of TB in Trinidad and Tobago (<40 cases per 100,000), so:

  • routine screening is not required
  • consider testing in patients (including children) who show signs and symptoms
  • be aware that TB is a notifiable disease

Sexually transmitted infections and HIV

There is a high rate of HIV in Trinidad and Tobago (>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 Trinidad and Tobago 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

Trinidad and Tobago has an intermediate 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

Trinidad and Tobago has a considerably higher prevalence of hepatitis C than the UK, so consider screening for hepatitis C.

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.

Typhoid

There is a risk of typhoid infection in Trinidad and Tobago, so:

  • ensure that travellers to Trinidad and Tobago 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 Trinidad and Tobago

Helminths

There is a risk of helminth infections in Trinidad and Tobago, including soil transmitted helminthiasis.

Women’s health

Reproductive health indicators

Reproductive health indicator UK Trinidad and Tobago
Children per woman¹ 2 2
Use of contraception² 82% 38.2%

¹lifetime average ²by woman of reproductive age or partner

No data are available on:

  • mammography screening rates
  • cervical cancer screening rates

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 in pre-school children (estimated prevalence is 20 to 40%), in Trinidad and Tobago, 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:

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

Vitamin A

There may be a risk of vitamin A deficiency in Trinidad and Tobago.

Country profile

Health indicators and health care

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

Culture, politics and history

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

Languages

Languages used in Trinidad and Tobago include:

  • English (official)
  • Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi)
  • French
  • Spanish
  • Chinese

Source: The World Factbook.

Religions

Religion Population (%)¹
Protestant² 32.1
Roman Catholic 21.6
Hindu 18.2
Unspecified 11.1
Other 8.4
Muslim 5
None 2.2
Jehovah’s Witness 1.5

¹2011 est. ²Pentecostal, Evangelical, and Full Gospel 12%; Baptist 6.9%; Anglican 5.7%; Seventh-Day Adventist 4.1%; Presbyterian and Congretational 2.5%; other Protestant 0.9%

Source: The World Factbook.

Migration to the UK

There were almost 23,000 people from Trinidad and Tobago 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

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