# Strengthening the Prevention, Detection, and Treatment of Diseases affecting US-bound Refugees and Other Globally Mobile Populations

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION · 2020 · $1

## Abstract

OVERALL PROJECT SUMMARY
Under technical guidance the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Migration Health Division of the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) performs essential pre-departure activities for U.S.-bound
refugees and immigrants to ensure they are fit to travel, that they receive cost-effective public health
interventions, and that communicable diseases of public health significance are identified, managed, and
reported. These activities comprise health assessments, which include screening and treatment for
tuberculosis (TB) and other infectious diseases, additional evaluations for those with significant medical
conditions, vaccinations and presumptive treatment, pre-embarkation checks, and outbreak response. As
global mobility continues to accelerate, improved understanding, prevention, detection, and treatment of
diseases affecting such populations is increasingly important for the health of individuals and communities.
We propose to three activities with the overall goal of strengthening pre-departure procedures and disease
prevention and control (see appendix attachment for summaries): (A) Diagnosis and Follow-up of Plasmodium
malariae Infections in U.S.-bound Refugees to Inform Presumptive Treatment Recommendations. Presumptive
artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is recommended for all U.S.-bound refugees from Sub-Saharan
Africa prior to departure. Although thought to be effective against P. malariae, recent data suggest it may be
inadequate. We will determine rates of ACT success against P. malaraiae in U.S.-bound refugees in Uganda,
and other considerations to inform pre-departure guidelines. (B) Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) Testing
and Voluntary Treatment for U.S.-Bound Refugees in Tanzania and U.S.-Bound Immigrants in Vietnam. A
substantial number of immigrants and refugees arriving in the U.S. may have undiagnosed and untreated LTBI
and some will go on to develop active TB disease. Given that LTBI treatment initiation and completion rates for
refugees and immigrants after arrival in the U.S. are suboptimal, new strategies are wanted. We will assess the
acceptability and feasibility of offering LTBI testing and treatment overseas during the health assessment. (C)
A Rapid Point-of-Care Testing Strategy to Increase Presumptive Strongyloides Treatment of U.S.-bound
Refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa. Standard diagnostics for Loa loa infection require laboratory testing that is
not readily available. Many U.S.-bound refugees cannot be tested for loaisis and thus must be excluded from
presumptive treatment for strongyloidiasis, putting them at risk for serious long-term sequelae. We will
investigate the use of a smart phone-based microscope as a point-of-care test for loaisis.
Together, these activities will contribute to protecting and improving the health of U.S.-bound refugees and
immigrants, identifying best practices and provide evidence-based strategies for disease prevention and
control, a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10000809
- **Project number:** 5U01CK000558-03
- **Recipient organization:** INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Alexander Klosovsky
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-30 → 2023-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10000809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10000809, Strengthening the Prevention, Detection, and Treatment of Diseases affecting US-bound Refugees and Other Globally Mobile Populations (5U01CK000558-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10000809. Licensed CC0.

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