Denmark is facing its own refugee crisis after authorities warned health officials that cases of diphtheria, tuberculosis and malaria carried by refugees fleeing the Middle East have been registered in the country and fear that a possible outbreak is on the horizon.
"There is no doubt that infectious diseases are coming in with the refugees that we aren't used to. There have been discussions on whether all refugees who come to Denmark should be screened," said Kurt Fuursted, spokesperson for the Danish State Serum Institute, according to RT.
The discussions in question refer to recommendations made by the World Health Organization, which suggests that European countries vaccinate incoming migrants as soon as possible.
"The unprecedented influx of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants to countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region poses a public health challenge that must be addressed in a timely, effective manner," the recommendation reads. "Refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants should be vaccinated without unnecessary delay according to the immunization schedule of the country in which they intend to stay for more than a week."
Denmark has failed to follow these guidelines, and now officials are particularly worried about the potential return of diphtheria, a serious nose and throat infection that hasn't been diagnosed in the country in almost 20 years.
"The infection can be very dangerous if one isn't vaccinated against it. The dangerous type is very rare and we last saw it in Denmark in 1998," Fuursted said.
Denmark has been relatively lax compared to other countries when it comes to immigration control, likely due to the fact that it has received far less refugees when compared to other European countries. In 2015, Denmark received about 18,000 refugees, while neighboring Sweden received more than 160,000.
However, this attitude has been changing over the past few weeks. Danish MPs are poised to vote on amendments to the Aliens Act, which would determine the fate of a controversial legislation that allows authorities to seize migrants' cash and individual items if they exceed $1,450 in value, reported Al Jazeera. In addition, authorities have started to employ spot checks on travelers crossing the border from Germany.
