Malaria, intestinal parasites, and schistosomiasis among Barawan Somali refugees resettling to the United States: a strategy to reduce morbidity and decrease the risk of imported infections.

Abstract

Abstract. In 1997, enhanced health assessments were performed for 390 (10%) of approximately 4,000 Barawan refugees resettling to the United States. Of the refugees who received enhanced assessments, 26 (7%) had malaria parasitemia and 128 (38%) had intestinal parasites, while only 2 (2%) had Schistosoma haematobium eggs in the urine. Mass therapy for malaria (a single oral dose of 25 mg/kg of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine) was given to all Barawan refugees 1-2 days before resettlement. Refugees Ͼ2 years of age and nonpregnant women received a single oral dose of 600 mg albendazole for intestinal parasite therapy. If mass therapy had not been provided, upon arrival in the United States an estimated 280 (7%) refugees would have had malaria infections and 1,500 (38%) would have had intestinal parasites. We conclude that enhanced health assessments provided rapid on-site assessment of parasite prevalence and helped decrease morbidity among Barawan refugees, as well as, the risk of imported infections.

Post-Arrival Screening for Malaria in Asymptomatic Refugees Using Real-Time PCR

“…2 Approaches to mitigate the risk of malaria in refugee populations include mass antimalarial treatment pre-departure or on arrival and screen and treat strategies for targeted groups. [6][7][8][9][10] The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued new guidelines in 2008 for refugees arriving from sub-Saharan Africa that recommend presumptive treatment either pre-departure or on arrival. 11 Recent guidelines from the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases include malaria testing and treatment at both pre-departure and post-arrival health assessments, regardless of the country of origin.…”

Imported parasitic infections in Serbia

“…The prevalence of imported intestinal parasites in studies mostly involving refugees and immigrants has been reported to range from 11% to 80% [7,14,19]. We found a remarkably lower prevalence (3.4%) of these infections but we were looking almost exclusively at our native travelers.…”

“…The proportion of those who report some illness associated with travel is variable and ranges from 20-70% [1,2]. Of these, tropical parasitic infections make a significant part, with malaria [3], schistosomiasis [4], leishmaniasis [5], strongyloidiasis [6], and filariasis, along with intestinal parasites [7], being the most significant ones.…”

Schistosomiasis - An Unusual Cause of Ureteral Obstruction: A Case History and Perspective

“…19 This means that all practitioners, but especially those in communities with large and growing immigrant populations, need to increase awareness of these diseases. Bilharziasis, although a common disease, is rarely seen in Wisconsin.…”

“…11 However, review of the tropical medicine literature reveals that S. haematobium is endemic to Somalia and presents a long-standing health problem there. 9,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Shifting demographics In the United States, it is estimated that at least 400,000 individuals are infected. Most of these are immigrants, but travelers including military, expatriates, and civilian contractors have been infected as well.…”