Review articleScreening of international immigrants, refugees, and adoptees
Section snippets
Who should be screened?
The U.S. Public Health Service requires screening of all immigrants and refugees before departure from their country of origin or first asylum; undocumented individuals do not undergo screening. Refugees undergo the most thorough screening, with the authority administering the program (U.S. government, United Nations, or other refugee organization) determining the exact evaluation. Most refugees undergo evaluation by the International Office of Migration (IOM). The IOM employs healthcare
What is screening?
The clinician should perform the screening examination with a focus on the traditional tenets of screening:
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The condition sought should be an important health problem.
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There should be an accepted treatment for patients with recognized disease.
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Facilities to diagnose and treat should be available to the patient.
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There should be a recognized latent or asymptomatic disease stage.
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There should be a suitable test or examination (acceptable sensitivity, specificity, reliability, and positive and negative
Summary
Frequently clinicians are faced with screening and providing preventive care to immigrants, refugees, and international adoptees. Evidence-based medicine on which to base screening protocols for these populations is lacking. It is important to review all health and vaccination records of the patient. In addition to acute symptoms, one should inquire about the symptoms of diseases prevalent in the country of origin or transit (eg, hematuria). Many unexpected pathologic conditions may be detected
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following for their valuable input: Ann O'Fallon and colleagues, Minnesota Department of Health; Julie Hauer, MD, and Dana Johnson, MD, University of Minnesota International Adoption Clinic; John Toso, MD; Phil Fischer, MD; and Robert D. Newman, MD, and colleagues, Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Toxocariasis in migrant children: A 6 years’ experience in a reference pediatric unit in Spain
2022, Travel Medicine and Infectious DiseaseCitation Excerpt :Most American and European series considered only local children and few data are available regarding potentially highly vulnerable populations such as refugees, adoptees or migrants. With the recent Syrian refugees’ crisis, scientific societies have highlighted the need to generate evidence in order to design unified evidence-based screening protocols, as the management of these populations is controversial [12–14]. Regarding toxocariasis, the duration of treatment has been an object of debate as well, and recommendations range from five days to three weeks, as no clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate optimal treatment duration in children [1,15,16].
Medical care for refugees: A question of ethics and public health
2016, Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiologia ClinicaCitation Excerpt :In addition to a greater risk of diseases that are prevalent in their countries of origin (see above), refugees may have been exposed to unhealthy living conditions and subjected to violent acts and traumatic situations. Therefore, clinical care should be based on a multidisciplinary approach that covers infectious diseases, mental health, chronic conditions, and obstetric-gynecologic care.24,25 One of the main strategies for provision of medical care to refugees should be the design and application of screening protocols that can detect the more prevalent health problems early, not only in adults but also in children (infectious diseases, chronic conditions and mental health), and take into consideration the cultural and linguistic peculiarities of the population they are applied to.
Health Screening in Immigrants, Refugees, and International Adoptees
2016, The Travel and Tropical Medicine Manual, Fifth EditionInternational Adoption
2012, Hunter's Tropical Medicine and Emerging Infectious Disease: Ninth EditionMigrant, Immigrant, and Refugee Health
2011, Tropical Infectious Diseases: Principles, Pathogens and PracticeMigrant, Immigrant, and Refugee Health
2011, Tropical Infectious Diseases