Primary Care for Refugee ChildrenMary Fabio, MD, Khoi Dang, MD, Meera Siddharth, MD, Alison C. Tribble, MD,Toby Measham, MD, MSc, Jaswant Guzder, MD, Cecile Rousseau, MD, MSc,Laura Pacione, MD, MSc, Morganne Blais-McPherson, BSc, Lucie Nadeau, MD, MSc

Curr Probl PediatrAdolesc Health Care, August 2014 1

Foreword: Primary Care for Refugee Children

In 2012, the United Nations High Commission

for Refugees (UNHCR) stated that children make

up 46% of the 15 million refugees in the world

today. The United States offers resettlement to

approximately 80,000 refugees a year, a tiny

percentage of the world’s refugees, but the

largest number accepted for permanent resettle-

ment by any country.

The refugee family’s journey tells the story of the

political unrest and war. It is not surprising that

the stressors of violence, uncertainty, and dis-

placement from home and culture may lead to

worse mental and physical health for refugees.

Providing thoughtful, culturally sensitive, and

high-quality care to this adverse population is

the job of a growing national group of clinicians

who, over the last several years, have dedicated

themselves to understanding the health care

needs of refugees.

Therefore, it seemed timely to focus this edition

of Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent

Health on the unique issues that we should be

aware of in providing “Primary Care for Refugee

Children.” The introduction gives us the United

Nations’ definition of “refugee” and the process

that refugees go through to resettle in the USA. In

the next section, we learn that children refugees

are at an increased risk for growth and nutritional

deficits. The appropriate screening and treatment

is discussed.

With under nutrition and disruptions in medical

services, refugee children are at risk for infectious

diseases. In “Strategies in Infectious Disease

Prevention and Management among US-bound

Refugee Children” the “usual suspects” of tuber-

culosis and malaria are reviewed in detail. In

addition, there is a very nice review of intestinal

parasites and the 13 disabling or chronic infec-

tions that infect nearly 1 billion people worldwide,

known as the neglected tropical diseases.

Finally, there is an important section that

focuses on “Supporting Psychological Wellbeing

and Positive Adaptation following Migration” for

refugee children and their families. The authors

give us a child’s view of the refugee’s experience

with compelling case illustrations to drive home

the important concepts of care.

I hope that this edition will be helpful in thinking

about the approach to the refugee family. There-

fore, this edition is meant to be a practical guide,

a primer of sorts, on the approach to the refugee

child and family. I hope you find it useful.

Louis M. Bell, MD

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