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Parasitic infections are common in some refugee populations awaiting resettlement in the U.S. On May 1, 1999, the CDC initiated presumptive therapy programs for malaria and intestinal parasites: High-risk refugees would receive a single oral 600-mg dose of albendazole, administered as directly observed therapy ≤3 days after departure. Now, researchers have analyzed the effects of this intervention.
Health-screening data, obtained ≤90 days after arrival in the U.S., were examined for all refugees who settled in Minnesota between 1993 and 2007 — i.e., before and after initiation of presumptive treatment. Groups that did not receive albendazole (i.e., children aged <2 years, pregnant women, and individuals with known cysticercosis or an unexpla…