title: Evaluation of the impact of overseas pre-departure treatment for infection with intestinal parasites among Montagnard refugees migrating from Cambodia to North Carolina.
abstract: We evaluated the effectiveness of an overseas pre-departure regimen of five days of albendazole for presumptive treatment of intestinal parasites by examining stool specimens in treated and untreated Montagnard refugees after arrival in the United States. Among 815 refugees evaluated, fully treated refugees had a significantly lower prevalence of helminths (11 [1.4%] of 777), specifically hookworm and Ascaris lumbricoides, than untreated pregnant women (3 [20%] of 15) (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that treatment was associated with significantly lower rates of infection with helminths but not protozoa. Post-arrival gastrointestinal symptoms were not associated with findings on stool examination. Our evaluation suggests that although additional studies are needed to determine optimal treatment regimens for intestinal parasites, especially among young children and pregnant women, a five-day course of pre-departure albendazole was effective in reducing helminthic infection in treated refugees.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30329-4018, USA. jina.shah@gmail.com
authors.forename: J Jina
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.forename: Yecai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Elaine W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Flagg
authors.forename: Stephanie P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Suzanna A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weston
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merritt
authors.forename: Patricia P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Wilkins
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Keane
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Calderon
authors.forename: Donald J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Causer
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.forename: Martin S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Cetron
mesh_terms: D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002160:Cambodia / Q000208:ethnology; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009657:North Carolina; D012036:Refugees; D014195:Travel; D014347:Trypanosoma brucei gambiense; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D014370:Tsetse Flies; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015766:Albendazole