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Absence of Loa loa Microfilaremia among Newly Arrived Congolese Refugees in Texas
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that refugees at risk of Loa loa infection be tested for microfilaria before treatment with ivermectin. We report observational results of this approach in African refugees in Texas. Daytime blood smears were performed for microfilaria on at-risk African refugees who arrived in Texas from July 1, 2014 through December 30, 2016. Clinics were asked if there were any adverse events reported among those who received ivermectin. Of the 422 persons screened, 346 (82%) were born in L. loa–endemic countries, with 332 (96%) of these being born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. No smears detected microfilaria, and all received presumptive ivermectin with no reports of significant adverse events. In this investigation, the prevalence of significant microfilarial load in sub-Saharan African refugees appeared to be low, and ivermectin treatment was safe and well tolerated.
Author Notes
Financial support: This work was supported by CDC's Strengthening Surveillance for Diseases Among Newly-Arrived Immigrants and Refugees – CK12-1205.
Authors’ addresses: Jessica Montour, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Austin, TX, E-mail: jmontour@uscritx.org. Cathy Snider, Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, TX, E-mail: cathy.snider@dshs.texas.gov. Deborah Lee and Emily S. Jentes, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, E-mails: dlee1@cdc.gov and ejentes@cdc.gov. William Stauffer, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, and University of Minnesota, Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Minneapolis, MN, E-mail: stauf005@umn.edu.