MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep

Enhanced medical assessment strategy for Barawan Somali refugees--Kenya, 1997.

No information.
Each year, approximately 100,000 refugees are resettled to the United States. Before resettlement, these refugees undergo medical screening to identify inadmissable conditions (e.g., infectious tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] infection) among individual refugees. This report describes the implementation and results of an enhanced refugee medical assessment strategy among Barawan Somali refugees in Kenya during July 1997. This strategy employs population-based screening for parasitic infections. The findings indicate that, among these refugees, the prevalences of malaria and intestinal parasites were sufficient to warrant pre-embarkation therapy to improve the health of both individuals and the total refugee population. This therapy also may prevent local transmission of parasitic infections in the resettlement communities in the United States.

Outbreak of Campylobacter enteritis associated with cross-contamination of food--Oklahoma, 1996.

Year 1998

No information.
On August 29, 1996, the Jackson County Health Department (JCHD) in southwestern Oklahoma notified the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) of a cluster of Campylobacter jejuni infections that occurred during August 16-20 among persons who had eaten lunch at a local restaurant on August 15. This report summarizes the investigation of these cases and indicates that C. jejuni infection was most likely acquired from eating lettuce cross-contaminated with raw chicken. This report also emphasizes the need to keep certain foods and cooking utensils separate during food handling.

Rift Valley Fever--East Africa, 1997-1998.

Year 1998

No information.
In December 1997, the Kenya Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Nairobi received reports of 478 unexplained deaths in the North Eastern province of Kenya and southern Somalia. Clinical features included acute onset of fever and headache associated with hemorrhage (hematochezia, hematemesis, and bleeding from other mucosal sites). Local health officials also reported high rates of illness and death resulting from hemorrhage among domestic animals in the area. This report describes the preliminary results of the outbreak investigation and the results of a serologic survey.