Ahead of Print -Asymptomatic Malaria and Other Infections in Children Adopted from Ethiopia, United States, 2006–2011 - Volume 21, Number 7—July 2015 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal - CDC

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Ahead of Print -Asymptomatic Malaria and Other Infections in Children Adopted from Ethiopia, United States, 2006–2011 - Volume 21, Number 7—July 2015 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal - CDC

Volume 21, Number 7—July 2015

Dispatch

Asymptomatic Malaria and Other Infections in Children Adopted from Ethiopia, United States, 2006–2011

On This Page

• The Study
• Conclusions
• Suggested Citation

Tables

• Table 1
• Table 2

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Senait M. Adebo, Judith K. Eckerle, Mary E. Andrews, Cynthia R. Howard, and Chandy C. John 

Author affiliations: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (S.M. Adebo); University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA (J.K. Eckerle, M.E. Andrews, C.R. Howard, C.C. John); Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA (C.C. John)

Suggested citation for this article

Abstract

We screened 52 children adopted from Ethiopia for malaria because they had previously lived in a disease-endemic region or had past or current hepatomegaly or splenomegaly. Seven (13.5%) children had asymptomatic malaria parasitemia by microscopy (n = 2) or PCR (n = 5). Our findings suggest that adoptees at risk for asymptomatic malaria should be screened, preferably by PCR.

International adoptees are at increased risk for infectious diseases (1). During 2007–2012, Ethiopia was 1 of the top 5 countries of origin for children who were adopted by persons in the United States (2), but few studies have been published on children from Ethiopia who were adopted by persons in the United States (3). Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, and, less frequently, P. ovale is endemic to several regions in Ethiopia (4). Children adopted from Ethiopia are often living in orphanages in Addis Ababa, an area free of malaria, at the time of their adoption, but they may have lived in a malaria-endemic area before their transfer to the orphanage. The prevalence of asymptomatic malaria parasitemia among these children is not known.

Dr. Adebo works as a hospitalist pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her primary research interests are global health and international adoption issues.

References

1. Hostetter MK. Infectious diseases in internationally adopted children: the past five years. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1998;17:517–8. DOIPubMed
2. US Department of State. Intercountry adoption. Statistics. Washington (DC): The Department [cited 2013 Apr 24].http://adoption.state.gov/about_us/statistics.php
3. Miller LC, Tseng B, Tirella LG, Health of children adopted from Ethiopia. Matern Child Health J. 2008;12:599–605. DOIPubMed
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health information for international travel. The yellow book 2012. Atlanta: The Centers [cited 2013 Apr 23]. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/yellowbook-2012-home.htm
5. American Academy Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases. Medical evaluation of internationally adopted children for infectious diseases. In: Pickering LK, Baker CJ, Kimberlin DW, editors. Red book: report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 29th ed. Elk Grove Village (IL): The Academy; 2012. p. 192–200.
6. Raabe VN, Sautter C, Chesney M, Eckerle JK, Howard CR, John CC. Hepatitis A screening for internationally adopted children from hepatitis A endemic countries. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2014;53:31–7. DOIPubMed
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8. Menge DM, Ernst KC, Vulule JM, Zimmerman PA, Guo H, John CC. Microscopy underestimates the frequency of Plasmodium falciparum infection in symptomatic individuals in a low transmission highland area. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2008;79:173–7.PubMed

Tables

• Table 1. Value of certain characteristics or findings for predicting asymptomatic malaria parasitemia in children adopted from Ethiopia who were seen at the University of Minnesota International Adoption Clinic, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 2006–2011...
• Table 2. Prevalence of infectious diseases in children adopted from Ethiopia who were seen at the University of Minnesota International Adoption Clinic, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 2006–2011

Suggested citation for this article: Adebo SM, Eckerle JK, Andrews ME, Howard CR, John CC. Asymptomatic malaria and other infections in children adopted from Ethiopia, United States, 2006–2011. Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 Jul [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2107.141933

DOI: 10.3201/eid2107.141933