Health authorities in Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta have identified multiple infectious diseases among migrants arriving since late July, as hospitals continue managing increased demand and officials maintain heightened epidemiological surveillance.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Health officials in Ceuta, Spain, have confirmed five cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among migrants who entered the North African enclave during a mass influx that began in late July, according to an epidemiological report released Friday, Oct. 30.
The findings, published by El Pueblo de Ceuta, also document two cases of hepatitis C, one case of hepatitis B, 13 cases of tuberculosis, 13 cases of chickenpox and one case of mpox among migrants monitored by the city’s public health authorities.
The latest report covers health surveillance conducted from July 29 through Oct. 27 by Ceuta’s Technical Committee for Public Health Coordination, established to assess potential health consequences associated with the sudden increase in migrant arrivals.
None of the five HIV cases was newly diagnosed during the most recent reporting period, Oct. 21-27. The same period also recorded no additional hepatitis B or hepatitis C cases among migrants included in the monitoring program.
The epidemiological findings were submitted by Julián Domínguez, head of preventive medicine at the University Hospital of Ceuta, using information collected through the city’s public health surveillance system.
The report distinguishes between cases involving migrants who entered Spain irregularly and those involving local residents, visitors from other Spanish regions and travelers participating in Operation Crossing the Strait, the annual movement of passengers between Europe and North Africa.
During the surveillance period, health authorities recorded no HIV cases in the comparison population unrelated to the migrant influx. However, the findings do not establish where the infections originated or whether transmission occurred after migrants arrived in Ceuta.
Tuberculosis represented another concern identified in the surveillance data. Authorities recorded 13 cases among migrants who arrived during the period, compared with six cases in the population not associated with the influx. During the latest reporting week, two additional tuberculosis cases were confirmed among migrants and one among the comparison population.
The committee also documented 13 chickenpox cases and one mpox infection associated with the migrant population. No new mpox cases were reported during the latest seven-day period.
The findings emerge approximately three months after thousands of migrants crossed into Ceuta from neighboring Morocco, creating substantial pressure on the territory’s medical facilities, emergency services and temporary accommodations.
Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city on the northern African coast, has a population of approximately 87,000 and shares a land border with Morocco. Its geographical position makes it a principal entry point for migrants seeking access to Spanish territory and the European Union.
As Breitbart News reported in August, medical professionals raised concerns about overcrowding, inadequate sanitation and the capacity of local hospitals to accommodate the sudden increase in patients.
Reports from that period described migrants establishing makeshift shelters on beaches and occupying public facilities, including school buildings. Health professionals warned that overcrowded accommodations, limited sanitation and difficulties accessing regular medical care could increase the risk of infectious disease transmission.
Guadalupe Sánchez, a physician at the University Hospital of Ceuta, described conditions on the city’s beaches during an August interview with Spanish broadcaster Antena 3.
“They are occupied, they are full of huts, people are eating there, throwing food, it’s full of clothes, of excrement, of cigarettes,” Sánchez said.
She also expressed concern about communicable illnesses and hygiene conditions in areas where migrants had established temporary encampments.
“With all the diseases I’m seeing, because my WhatsApp is full of photos of people from Ceuta who say ‘look what came out on my child’, impetigo, mange, contagious diseases, this is a sanitary catastrophe,” she said.
“The beach is contaminated; it is contaminated because, this has to be said, they are peeing, they are doing their necessities, they are bathing,” Sánchez added.
Other medical professionals, including Ceuta Medical Association President Enrique Roviralta, previously warned about the possibility of outbreaks involving tuberculosis, measles, cholera and gastrointestinal infections if health authorities could not maintain adequate sanitation and medical services.
The latest epidemiological report provides additional information about the demands placed on Ceuta’s healthcare facilities since the migration surge began.
Between July 29 and Oct. 27, the University Hospital of Ceuta recorded 25,971 emergency department visits, including 5,667 encounters involving at least one identified medical syndrome.
During the most recent reporting week, hospital emergency services handled 1,784 visits, of which 365 involved at least one syndrome under surveillance.
Other healthcare facilities, excluding hospital emergency departments and primary care services, recorded an additional 13,363 consultations during the monitoring period. Of those, 1,968 involved at least one identified syndrome. The latest week accounted for 39 consultations at those facilities, including 15 involving symptoms tracked by the committee.
Respiratory illnesses were among the most frequently recorded conditions. Authorities documented 1,916 episodes of acute respiratory symptoms, including 1,053 associated with the migrant population and 863 in the comparison population.
The report also identified 648 episodes involving skin rashes or eruptions, including 360 associated with migrant arrivals, along with 2,226 gastrointestinal episodes involving symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting without signs of severe illness.
Officials cautioned that an individual patient can present with multiple symptoms, meaning the number of recorded medical syndromes does not necessarily represent an equivalent number of separate patients.
The cumulative figures also incorporate medical records added retrospectively by Spain’s National Institute of Health Management, which oversees healthcare administration in Ceuta and Melilla.
Spain’s Ministry of Health has maintained specialized public health surveillance and disease prevention protocols in response to the migrant influx. These include procedures for tuberculosis and chickenpox management, infection prevention in temporary accommodation facilities and early identification of communicable diseases.
The monitoring program is designed to ensure affected patients receive appropriate medical care while allowing authorities to identify potential outbreaks and implement preventive measures.
HIV is transmitted through specific bodily fluids, including blood and sexual fluids, and is not spread through ordinary social contact, shared public spaces or casual proximity. The detection of HIV among arriving migrants does not by itself indicate an outbreak or establish transmission to the broader community.
The committee’s latest findings confirm that Ceuta’s health services continue identifying and treating infectious diseases among migrants while managing increased demand nearly three months after the initial arrivals. Public health monitoring remains active as authorities work to maintain healthcare access, infection control and surveillance across the territory.
Original article
Comments