“My referral’s medical info states that the child tested positive for syphilis at birth? What further questions should I ask – can I still consider this referral?” A diagnosis of congenital syphilis is very difficult to establish because clinical signs of infection may not be apparent and many times the blood tests are unreliable. Syphilis […]
Infectious Diseases
Internationally adopted child be screened for H. Pylori
Should an Internationally adopted child be screened for H. Pylori even if he/she seem asymptomatic? The incidence of H. Pylori is very low in children of industrialized countries. The incidence increases by a small amount every year and it dramatically increases after the age of 20 years. Transmission is usually by person to person contact, […]
Intestinal Parasites in the orphan child
Intestinal Parasites in the orphan child Are Intestinal parasites common in orphan children? What do I as an adoptive parent need to know? Unfortunately, intestinal parasites, particularly parasitic infection is the most common medical condition that I diagnose in many of the Internationally Adopted children that I examine shortly after they arrive to the United […]
Children from an orphanage setting may have Giardia.
I’ve heard that children from an orphanage setting may have Giardia. Is this an infection? A parasite? Is it communicable? Giardia is an intestinal parasite that uses the human being as the primary host for infection. Giardia organisms also infect dogs, cats and beavers as well as other animals. These animals contaminate water with feces […]
Worries about HIV infection in the orphan child
Worries about HIV infection in the Adopted child. This question is not so simple as it would appear. First we never say whether someone should or should not adopt someone, because children can be adopted with HIV infection to avail the child of the myriad opportunities for treatment that are available in the United States. […]
Post-Adoption evaluation it was discovered that he has a positive PPD
I adopted a child from Russia and on my Post-Adoption evaluation it was discovered that he has a positive PPD. Does this mean that he is contagious to my family and what is the course of treatment for my child? The purpose of the tuberculin (PPD) skin test is to identify people who have the […]
Salmonella infection in the Internationally adopted child
Salmonella infection in the Internationally adopted child Salmonella There are two main types of salmonella there is the “normal salmonella that we think of in this country which is acquired through undercooked foods. There is also something called salmonella typhi or typhoid fever. They are both salmonella infections. Normally however when we say salmonella infection […]
Tuberculosis Screening in the Adopted Child
Tuberculosis Screening in the Internationally Adopted Child Tuberculosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which differs in many ways from the bacteria that cause other childhood infections. Because of these differences, the usual antibiotics prescribed for simple childhood infections are not effective. Children are exposed to tuberculosis when they inhale the contagious […]
Positive Test for Hepatitis C on the Adoption Medical Abstract
Positive Test for Hepatitis C on the Adoption Medical Abstract Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by infection with the hepatitis C virus. The virus causes liver inflammation, which interferes with proper liver function. It can eventually lead to severe, permanent liver damage and cirrhosis and may be complicated by liver cancer. Because the […]
Adopted child who is a carrier of Hepatitis C antibodies
Internationally adopted child who is a carrier of Hepatitis C antibodies. How important or significant is this information? Your question is not as easy a question to answer as it may appear. Hepatitis C is a virus which before we used to screen blood for it, was predominantly spread through blood transfusion. Someone who has […]
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