Climate-related events, human mobility, and migrant health in Latin America and the Caribbean: evidence gaps and public health implications.

OBJECTIVES

To map the available evidence on climate-related events, human mobility, and health outcomes in migrant populations across Latin America and the Caribbean.

METHODS

We conducted a structured mini review using an evidence-mapping approach to characterize the available literature. Searches were performed in BIREME/LILACS, PubMed, and Web of Science and were complemented by a manual search of the gray literature. The search, selection, data-charting, and reporting procedures were informed by relevant elements of the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and established methodological guidance for evidence synthesis.

RESULTS

Eight publications were included: six empirical qualitative studies, one personal opinion paper, and one scoping review. None of the six empirical studies compared migrant and local populations, and only one incorporated an intra-group comparison. The populations examined were primarily adults and included climate migrants, economic migrants, and forcibly displaced or forced migrants. The events reported encompassed hurricanes, storms, droughts, floods, and shifts in precipitation patterns, although four of the eight publications addressed climate change in general terms. Health effects were sparsely characterized: four of the eight publications reported acute conditions, whereas chronic conditions were not identified and specific infectious diseases were not reported.

DISCUSSION: The available evidence remains limited, heterogeneous, and poorly disaggregated. Future research should specify climate events, mobility conditions, psychosocial vulnerabilities, and health effects in order to inform equitable, rights-based, and community-oriented public-health responses.