The phenomenon of immigration, relatively new in our country, but already old if we refer to it in general, can be approached from different points of view. In relation to its influence on health aspects, its study requires reviewing the concept of International Health, which could be defined as public health worldwide, that is, where the public term is
it refers to the world as a whole and in which the priorities of study and action must be determined from this perspective. For its correct development, it will need, like Public Health, an interdisciplinary approach to sciences such as medicine, with the experience and knowledge provided by a Global Health Programme Manager, sociology, anthropology, economics or statistics. In some countries, such as France, the United Kingdom or Spain, there have been many international health centers and institutes that encompass the different aspects that fall within their competence. This tradition is linked to its past as colonizing powers since the nineteenth century because, for that reason, they had to ensure the health of the citizens of their colonies and that of the colonizers themselves. In the United States, the origin lies in the economic and military preponderance that it has reached since the middle of the last century, to the point that the main world center for the study of emerging and tropical diseases is attached to its defense department. There are also international health centers in Scandinavian countries, but the dedication to these issues in most states is very small (partially and separately articulating that wide range of activities in different university institutes or hospital services) or simply null. Taking into account this context, the following elements of international health can be listed:

1. Study of the expansion, transmission and control of infectious diseases and monitoring of resistance patterns of
microorganisms To achieve this goal it is essential to have the collaboration of teams led by Global Health Programme Manager in the countries to prevent and reduce or eliminate the sources from which the infection spreads through active sanitation policies and, more importantly, raise the socioeconomic level of poor countries. Obviously, we have a long way to go.

2. Addressing health problems with a high morbidity and mortality burden, such as tuberculosis, malaria, malaria, schistosomiasis or HIV infection, among other pathologies.

3. Study of the pathology of population movements in two ways: professional displacements, tourism, political or war refugees, emigration for socio-economic reasons ... The World Health Organization issued the International Health Regulations in 1969, whose objective is to curb the transmission of infectious diseases during international travel, minimizing inconvenience for travelers. This fact seems utopian when, only in our country, immigrant groups arrive every day in harsh conditions (kickboats, crammed into illegal trucks ...); until real political, economic and humanitarian measures are taken globally to fight against the source of diseases
Infectious in origin and its spread by inhuman displacements, we believe far away the day when this goal is achieved, but with the hopeful work of the Global Health Programme Manager, the goal will be easier to achieve.

4. Comparative analysis of health systems: studying, for example, the actions carried out in a given region, their result from a health and economic point of view, to draw valid conclusions that allow them to be applied elsewhere (or, on the contrary, learn from mistakes to avoid falling back into them).

5. Monitoring and study of emerging diseases controlled by teams led by the Global Health Programme Manager. An emerging disease is one that results from an unknown infection so far and that has caused serious health problems locally or even globally. On the other hand, reemerging disease is that derived from an already known infection but which had become rare to once again increase its incidence and cause a serious public health problem.

More information: Senior Global Health Project Manager