Disease and dislocation: the impact of refugee movements on the geography of malaria in NWFP, Pakistan

Studies of the health implications of refugee movements have generally focused on the effects of dislocation on the health of refugees and the impacts on health care provision at the destination. A somewhat more neglected aspect of the refugee-health research has been the impact of refugee flows on the geography of disease, i.e., how the spatial patterns of disease prevalence are modified through the influx and settlement of refugee populations. We examine this issue by examining the changing geography of malaria in Pakistanʹs North West Frontier Province (NWFP) between 1972 and 1997. Until the late 1970 s, the highest incidence of malaria in the region was seen in the southern and eastern parts. During the 1980 s, however, two and a half million Afghan refugees entered the NWFP and were housed in tented villages along the border and in some interior areas. As the decade progressed, there was a significant shift in the spatial pattern of malaria, with the regions of highest incidence shifting to the west and north, coinciding strongly with refugee concentrations. Our study draws attention to the manner in which refugee influx and settlement can alter the ecology of the disease system, leading to long-term changes in the geography of malaria.