Ceuta steps up infectious disease checks, including tuberculosis, after late July migrant arrivals

Ceuta authorities have launched a new plan following the mass arrival of migrants on July 30, stepping up checks for infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, as well as environmental monitoring, according to local news outlet El Pueblo de Ceuta.

The plan includes nine measures to strengthen disease monitoring, public health controls, and environmental services and will be jointly carried out by Ceuta’s departments of Health and Social Services and Environment, Urban Services, and Housing.

It aims to identify potential health risks early and maintain sanitary conditions across the occupied city, with more than 100 additional workers assigned to public health services, waste collection, cleaning, disinfection, and environmental monitoring.

The measures come after around 72,000 people irregularly entered Ceuta during the late-July crisis, according to Spanish Interior Ministry officials, with around 2,000 migrants reportedly still in the city, increasing the need for health monitoring.

The local outlet said that public health authorities have stepped up surveillance of notifiable diseases and are closely monitoring emerging and re-emerging diseases that could pose a risk to the population.

The plan, it said, includes increased surveillance, detection and control of tuberculosis, identifying possible cases, and monitoring their contacts when necessary.

The local authorities said uncertainty over how many migrants remain in Ceuta is making it harder to monitor patients and trace contacts in possible infectious disease cases.

El Pueblo de Ceuta also highlighted that some migrants have yet to be identified or are staying outside official reception facilities, making medical follow-up more difficult.

The plan includes measures to monitor environmental and vector-related health risks, with increased checks on drinking water and designated bathing areas and additional testing in other areas.

The occupied city of Ceuta has also increased cleaning, waste collection, disinfection, and sanitation in areas where large numbers of people are staying.