Describing the burden of infectious diseases among a population of detainees in an immigration removal centre (IRC) in the United Kingdom: a descriptive epidemiological approach.

This study aimed to describe the burden of infectious disease within one immigration removal centre (IRC) in southern England using available data. We conducted a review of existing databases used to record cases of infectious disease and extracted health information from a random sample of 50 % of detainee medical notes. We found that there was poor correlation between routine databases and that no systematic infectious disease screening is undertaken within the IRC. However, infectious diseases were an important public health issue in the IRC: 2 % of detainees were recorded as being hepatitis B virus positive, 1 % were HIV positive, and 3 % had a diagnosis of Tuberculosis. This study's quantification of the burden of infectious diseases relies upon self-disclosure and therefore underestimates true prevalence. Consideration should be given to screening for infectious diseases in the IRC. Where disease is identified, systems for case-tracking are poorly aligned between services.