Forced Migration and the Spread of Infectious Diseases

We examine the role of Venezuelan forced migration on the propagation of 15 infectious diseases in Colombia. For this purpose, we use rich municipal-monthly panel data. We exploit the fact that municipalities closer to the main migration entry points have a disproportionate exposure to infected migrants when the cumulative migration flows increase. We find that higher refugee inflows are associated with increments in the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as chickenpox and tuberculosis, as well as sexually transmitted diseases, namely syphilis. However, we find no significant effects of migration on the propagation of vector-borne diseases. Contact with infected migrants upon arrival seems to be the main driving mechanism.

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