CNN: Human migration is a pressing public health issue, report says
“Conservative rhetoric about migrants — like the group making their way through Mexico, the one President Donald Trump called an ‘invasion’ — might lead some to believe that migrants are a threat to American health, a strain on the health care system, and damaging to the economy. But a new series of papers presented at a U.N. Intergovernmental Conference this week and published Wednesday in the journal Lancet says that, based on evidence, that’s not true…” (Christensen, 12/5).

The Guardian: Myths about migrants spreading disease ‘inform hostile policies’
“Myths that migrants are responsible for spreading disease and a burden to health services have been used in support of the hostile and restrictive policies introduced in the U.S., U.K., and elsewhere around the world, a two-year commission has concluded. … The evidence shows that the risk of migrants transmitting TB to their host communities is low, the commission says. Their analysis shows that migrants who are usually working, studying, or have joined their families often have better health than the general population…” (Boseley, 12/5).

HuffPost: Migrants Don’t Pose A Threat To Public Health. That’s Just Racism, Report Says
“… ‘In too many countries, the issue of migration is used to divide societies and advance a populist agenda,’ Richard Horton, the editor of The Lancet, said in a statement. ‘Migrants commonly contribute more to the economy than they cost, and how we shape their health and wellbeing today will impact our societies for generations to come. There is no more pressing issue in global health’…” (Visser, 12/6).

NBC News: Migrants don’t bring disease. In fact, they help fight it, report says
“…And several reports have found that immigrants make up a substantial portion of the health care workforce, including in the United States. … ‘Rather than being a burden, migrants are more likely to bolster services by providing medical care, teaching children, caring for older people, and supporting understaffed services,’ The Lancet, which sponsored the report with University College London, said in a statement…” (Fox, 12/5).

Additional coverage of UCL-Lancet report on migration and health is available from Forbes, HuffPost, and NPR.