NEWS FROM LAMPEDUSA – Immigration: many pregnant women and no severe conditions reported

ROME, 13 MAY– No severe conditions were reported among migrants landing at Lampedusa, but there are many pregnant women, some of them at the final stages of pregnancy. The first news on the health conditions of migrants landed this morning come from the medical team of the National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (NIHMP), which has been on the island for several weeks to face the emergency.
Ignazio Accomando, NIHMP psychologist, declares that “Migrants are still arriving […] and they are in fairly good health conditions; they are tired, exhausted, dehydrated, sometimes injured, but there are no particularly severe cases”. Among landing migrants, there are many pregnant women. “About 2,000 migrants are expected today – says the psychologist – and we already visited a high number of pregnant women”. Some of them are at the end of pregnancy and “They are astonished of the number medical checkups they undergo, since they are not usual in their origin country”, says Accomando. “We are working since 6.55 am, when the first migrants landed – says Giustino Strano – medical coordinator of the NIHMP team working on the island – many of the migrants arrived today, who come from Libya, made a two-day journey and, all things considered, their health conditions are good”.
“Up to now – points out Strano – no hospital admission was made. Most migrants are young, ‘healthy’ and therefore potentially able to endure the long journey”. (ANSA Press Agency).