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Read the latest installment of our Immigrant Health Matters series, following a physician in Detroit, Michigan, as she counsels a family in anticipation of their trip to visit family back home in East Africa. Learn about different steps she took:
Immigrant Health Matters: Preparing the immigrant who is traveling home for a visit
In partnership with ECHO Colorado, the Minnesota Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health has been hosting a monthly training on newcomer health since Oct. 25, 2022.
Register for the 2024 series on the ECHO Colorado Website! Please note that ECHO has a new website, so you may need to clear your internet history/cache before registering.
Sign up for the ongoing monthly ECHO sessions held virtually:
ECHO Colorado: Newcomer Health
Last Tuesday of each month
11 a.m. ET | 10 a.m. CT | 9 a.m. MT | 8 a.m. PT
Refer to Connect Troubleshooting Tips (PDF) if you have issues registering, joining, etc.
Promotional flyer: ECHO Colorado: Newcomer Health (PDF)
Access resources and previous sessions: Newcomer Health ECHO Resource Page
The Minnesota Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Department of Medicine, is inviting interested health care professionals working with newcomers in clinical settings in dentistry, medicine, nursing, public health, social work, and other professions to a two-hour online simulation-based workshop.
This interactive workshop is designed to build capacity in the area of working with interpreters for interprofessional team members. It will take place on April 15.
Register now
We are updating our policy on our continuing medical education (CME) credits: CME/CEU Requests. CMEs will only be offered to attendees of live webinars, provided you complete the evaluation and submit a request. CEU credits for webinars are offered indefinitely. Please refer to our new Trainings webpage for more information
We will still honor CME requests for past recorded webinars until the following dates:
The 2024 North American Refugee Health Conference (NARHC) will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Aug. 5-7, 2024! Register now: NARHC Conference!
Call for abstracts is open!
Read the abstract guidelines and make sure to submit by the extended deadline of April 15, 2024.
What is NARHC about?
NARHC educates attendees on the latest and best practices in refugee and immigrant health. It also provides invaluable and inclusive networking. Participants leave NARHC feeling reinvigorated.
Who is NARHC for?
Anyone interested or working in the field of refugee, immigrant and newcomer health. We welcomed 750 clinicians, resettlement, academics, policymakers, students and community members from across North America and abroad to our 2023 conference.
Tuberculosis Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons
In early March 2024, CDC issued the 2024 Technical Instructions for Tuberculosis (TB TIs) for designated civil surgeons. Updates to the 2024 TB TIs include the following:
- After a final tuberculosis classification has been made and the I-693 form has been completed, civil surgeons are now required to enter applicants with the following tuberculosis classifications into eMedical: Class B0, B1 Pulmonary or Extrapulmonary, and B2 Latent TB Infection. Records must be entered by civil surgeons no later than five business days after they complete and sign the I-693 form; eMedical entries do not replace any portion of the I-693. Health departments will receive notifications about these applicants in Electronic Disease Notification System (EDN) after the I-693 process is complete and the data are entered into eMedical.
- Lead shielding is no longer recommended or required for the status adjustment medical examination for any applicants, including those who are pregnant.
Performing a molecular test, defined as a diagnostic nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), continues to be recommended on the first sputum specimen from applicants who require sputum testing. Read the 2024 Tuberculosis Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons.
Increase in Global and Domestic Measles Cases and Outbreaks
CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) advisory regarding the recent rise in measles cases (58 confirmed U.S. cases across 17 jurisdictions, including four outbreaks) since Jan. 1, 2024. While there have not been any reports in refugee populations, this should serve as a reminder to screen all international travelers 6 months of age and older and all children 12 months and older. Measles (rubeola) is a highly contagious viral illness that can cause severe health complications.
Read the CDC HAN: Increase in Global and Domestic Measles Cases and Outbreaks: Ensure Children in the United States and Those Traveling Internationally 6 Months and Older are Current on MMR Vaccination and learn more about measles.
Varicella in Kenya
CDC issued a letter on Feb. 15, 2024, regarding recent varicella cases in Kenya and the ongoing varicella vaccine shortage. One varicella case was discovered in a U.S.-bound refugee on Jan. 23. While the case was not known to be part of a larger outbreak, CDC notified its domestic partners to raise awareness of potential varicella exposures in refugees from Kenya.
If a refugee arriving from Kenya presents with symptoms of varicella (itchy, blister-like rash preceded by fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, headache), refer the refugee for medical evaluation; ensure in advance of the refugee’s arrival at the facility that the health care provider is aware of the possibility of varicella exposure to avoid potentially exposing others at the facility. Contact your state refugee health coordinator for more information: Office of Refugee Resettlement: Key State Contacts.
Additional information including clinical and public health guidance:
CDC issued a Dengue in the Americas: Level 1 alert to practice usual precautions. There is an increased risk and reported cases of dengue in many parts of Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Providers may reference CDC Yellow Book 2024: Dengue, which contains information about dengue clinical presentation and diagnosis, as well as the CDC: Dengue for Healthcare Providers webpage at any time.
Take a moment and review some recent publications on newcomer health:
- Vyas MV, Redditt V, Mohamed S, Abraha M, Sheth J, Shah BR, Ko DT, Ke C. Determinants, Prevention, and Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease Among Immigrant and Refugee Populations. Can J Cardiol. 2024 Feb 20:S0828-282X(24)00175-2. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2024.02.011. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38387721.
- Bernhardt K, Le Beherec S, Uppendahl JR, Fleischmann M, Klosinski M, Rivera LM, Samaras G, Kenney M, Müller R, Nehring I, Mall V, Hahnefeld A. Young children's development after forced displacement: a systematic review. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2024 Feb 1;18(1):20. doi: 10.1186/s13034-024-00711-5. PMID: 38303022; PMCID: PMC10835848.
- Smith C, Boylen S, Mutch R, Cherian S. Hear Our Voice: Pediatric Communication Barriers From the Perspectives of Refugee Mothers With Limited English Proficiency. J Pediatr Health Care. 2024 Mar-Apr;38(2):114-126. doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2023.12.009. PMID: 38429024.
- Ermansons G, Kienzler H, Schofield P. Somali refugees in urban neighborhoods: an eco-social study of mental health and wellbeing. Front Psychiatry. 2024 Feb 19;15:1307509. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1307509. PMID: 38439798; PMCID: PMC10910043.
- Van Brusselen D, Dubois AH, Bindu LK, Moluh Z, Nzomukunda Y, Liesenborghs L. Not only vaccine hesitancy, but also vaccination campaign hesitancy drives measles epidemics in conflict-torn eastern DR Congo. Confl Health. 2024 Feb 1;18(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s13031-024-00569-6. PMID: 38302997; PMCID: PMC10832215.
Articles specific to asylum seekers:
- Young J, Binford W, Bochenek MG, Greenbaum J. Health Risks of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in Federal Custody and in US Communities. Am J Public Health. 2024 Mar;114(3):340-346. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2023.307570. Epub 2024 Feb 8. PMID: 38330256; PMCID: PMC10882381.
- Reynolds CW, Cheung AW, Draugelis S, Bishop S, Mohareb AM, Almaguer EMM, López YB, Guerra LE, Rosenbloom R, Hua J, VanWinkle C, Vadlamudi P, Kotagal V, Schmitzberger F. Epidemiology of asylum seekers and refugees at the Mexico-US border: a cross-sectional analysis from the migrant settlement camp in Matamoros, Mexico. BMC Public Health. 2024 Feb 16;24(1):489. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-17947-7. PMID: 38365627; PMCID: PMC10870647.
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