Premium
Infectious diseases detected by screening after arrival to Denmark in internationally adopted children
Author(s) -
Nielsen Agnethe Vale,
Kjærgaard Jesper,
Pedersen Tine Marie,
Helmuth Ida Glode,
Nygaard Ulrikka,
Nielsen Helle Winter,
Christensen Vibeke Brix,
Kurtzhals Jørgen Anders Lindholm,
Poulsen Anja
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.15045
Subject(s) - medicine , syphilis , tuberculosis , danish , serology , pediatrics , hepatitis b , population , hepatitis a , epidemiology , hepatitis , immunology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , environmental health , antibody , pathology , linguistics , philosophy
Aim To show the prevalence of selected infectious diseases among internationally adopted children (IAC) in Denmark. Background Each year approximately 200 IAC arrive in Denmark. These are at increased risk of infectious diseases rarely seen in Danish children. Studies from the 1990s showed that 60% of IAC had infectious diseases and that the majority of these were undetected without screening. Methods The study is a prospective study of medical records from children seen in the adoption clinic at Copenhagen University Hospital in the period 2009‐2013. Screening was done for hepatitis A (HAV), B (HBV) and C (HCV), syphilis, HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and intestinal parasites. Results: In 245 IAC tested, 2% had evidence of recent HAV infection, 3% with HBV and one child with HCV, and no cases of HIV were found. One child had antibodies against syphilis (anti‐Trpa AB positivity), and 2% were latently infected with tuberculosis. We found 30% infected with pathogenic intestinal parasites. Only 46% had serologic evidence of immunisation against HBV. Conclusion The prevalence of infections in IAC was lower than previously reported but compared to the general population, a higher prevalence of intestinal parasites, hepatitis and tuberculosis was found. We recommend that IAC are offered screening shortly after arrival.