Evaluation of the Impact of Overseas Pre-departure Treatment for Infection with Intestinal Parasites among Montagnard Refugees Migrating from Cambodia to North Carolina

J. Jina Shah Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Susan A. Maloney Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Yecai Liu Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Elaine W. Flagg Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Stephanie P. Johnston Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Suzanna A. Young Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Robert Weston Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Samuel Merritt Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Patricia P. Wilkins Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Vincent Keane Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Jaime Calderon Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Donald J. Sharp Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Louise Causer Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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James H. Maguire Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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Martin S. Cetron Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; North Carolina State Refugee Health Program, Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, Raleigh, North Carolina; International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

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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.

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