Abstract
Objective: Children are 1/2 of the world’s refugees and often have intestinal parasites. This study seeks to determine the intestinal burden and pre-departure treatment of Kentucky pediatric refugees.
Methods: This is a chart review of Kentucky pediatric refugee health screening data from 2012-2017. Stool culture results from children arriving through refugee camps were compared to non-camp children. They were placed into 3 regional groups and analyzed based on CDC pre-departure treatment recommendations.
Results: Of the 3,199 records, 1,653 had stool testing. 354 (51%) refugee camp children tested positive compared to 326 (33.9%) non-camp children. Giardia and Blastocystis were most commonly identified. Treatment aligned with CDC guidelines 64.7% of the time. CDC compliance was 83%, 79.8%, and 30.2% from Regions 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
Discussion: Pre-departure treatment of pediatric refugees needs improved compliance with CDC recommendations through education of refugee camp workers. Giardia and Blastocystis are common and metronidazole is recommended for symptomatic children.
DOI
10.18297/rgh/vol2/iss1/5
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Russell, Collin and Rominger, Annie H.
(2019)
"Intestinal Parasite Burden and Pre-Departure Treatment Compliance in Kentucky Refugee Children: A Descriptive Study,"
Journal of Refugee & Global Health: Vol. 2
:
Iss.
1
, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18297/rgh/vol2/iss1/5
Available at:
https://ir.library.louisville.edu/rgh/vol2/iss1/5
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