Allergy Refugees: Should They Stay or Should They Go?

Authors

  • Jason Behrmann Bioethics Programme, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
  • Catherine Olivier Bioethics Program, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada

Keywords:

allergy, refugee, essential medicines, public health, ethics

Language(s):

English

Abstract

Severe allergies towards common and typically benign substances pose a growing challenge to population health around the globe. While the incidence of allergic disease has expanded at an alarming rate, efforts to ensure that allergy sufferers have access to adequate allergy treatments are far from universal; global inequalities in access to essential allergy medications are demonstrative of this fact. The ramifications due to these inequalities are broad and numerous. This case study shows that global inequalities in the provision of allergy drugs are pertinent to one particular context involving refugee claimants.

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Published

2012-03-19

Issue

Section

Case studies