Here’s how a traveler’s journey affects health

Jerica Martinez Prado/Journal de Juárez

Thursday, November 16, 2023 | 17:24

The journey from their place of origin to Ciudad Juarez, which takes some migrants through the jungles of the Darien Gorge and then on freight trains through central Mexico, has had an impact on their physical and mental health.

“They arrive with pain all over their body, myalgia (muscle pain), arthralgia (joint pain), just from the journey, long walks or arriving at a location on the train; all of this can take a physical toll on them.” Mexico International said Dr. Leticia Chavarría, medical advisor to the IOM.

In some cases, they arrive in cities with injuries, skin problems, conjunctivitis, ear problems, cavities, or other things that are not indicative of any specific character of a community but are the result of fatigue from weeks or months of travel.

Doctors who have been caring for people with reduced mobility in Ciudad Juárez since May 2020 as part of the International Organization for Migration said they all arrived with some degree of dehydration due to exposure last summer, both children and adults. . They were exposed to the elements and sunlight for several hours on the train.

They also reported “skin problems, mycosis problems – fungus – especially on the feet, abrasions on different parts of the body, and some wounds, precisely because many people arrived on the train. Their food was very Less, some of them have told us they lost a lot of weight because the Darien Jungle is so bad.”

Psycho-emotional care

Doctors emphasize that some people develop physical problems as a result of suffering emotional effects, which is why they are also directed into the field of psycho-emotional care.

“We find that some people have no physical reason to have this or that symptom; yet, they exhibit it. They often tell us that they cannot sleep or even wake up in the middle of the night thinking they are experiencing something they have already experienced , such as violence or stress. Then, by then we already know they are suffering from psychological problems,” he said.

Sometimes, he said, when immigrants come for medical consultation, they express all the emotional burdens they bring with them, so they are directed to containment, given psychological first aid and attempts to alleviate the problem. , because ultimately emotional problems can affect your physical health.

“They’re deeply affected by emotional problems, psychological problems, so that’s why part of comprehensive health care is medical problems of physical and organic disease, as well as mental health problems. Mental health care is important because when they suffer from this type of trauma, such as crossing the Darien River, they see and suffer numerous very sad situations, violence, and even witness or see people’s dead bodies. They experience very traumatic things, not only for adults but also for children , therefore requiring psychological attention,” he stressed.

After staying at Filtro Hotels for more than two years, more than 4,000 people have been treated, hundreds of them suffering from COVID-19, pregnancy, diabetes, high blood pressure and various health issues. During that year, IOM provided medical services in four spaces within the hotel. City, three shelters in the Cathedral of Ciudad Juárez and a restaurant for immigrants.

In these spaces, they treat mainly Mexicans and foreigners for seasonal ailments, currently respiratory illnesses.