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Volume 15, Number 11—November 2009
Research

Screening Practices for Infectious Diseases among Burmese Refugees in Australia

Nadia J. Chaves1, Katherine B. Gibney1, Karin Leder, Daniel P. O’Brien, Caroline Marshall, and Beverley-Ann BiggsComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia (N.J. Chaves, K.B. Gibney, K. Leder, D.P. O’Brien, C. Marshall, B.-A. Biggs); Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (K. Leder); Médecins sans Frontières Holland, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (D.P. O’Brien); University of Melbourne, Parkville (C. Marshall, B.-A. Biggs); 1These authors contributed equally to this article.

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Table 2

Proportion of patients with selected conditions compared with other studies of Burmese immigrants, retrospective cohort study, Australia, 2004–2008*

Condition This study, no. positive/ 
no. tested (%), N = 156 Denburg study (6), % positive, N = 68 Minnesota Department of
Health study (7), % positive, N = 159
Helicobacter pylori infection 33/41 (80.5)
Latent TB 105/149 (70.5) 28 52
Vitamin D deficiency 55/147 (37.4)
Eosinophilia 55/155 (35.5) 50
Strongyloides infection (serology) 39/150 (26.0) 7.5
Stool parasites (pathology) 33/137 (24.1) 32 18
Chronic HBV infection 20/141 (14.2) 13 9
Isolated core antibody against HBV 18/141 (12.8)
Schistosomiasis (serology) 8/147 (5.4)
HCV infection 4/145 (2.8)
Active TB 3/149 (2.0)
Syphilis 2/137 (1.5) 0 <1
Malaria 1/117 (0.9)
HIV infection 1/145 (0.7)
Chlamydia infection/gonorrhea 0/99 (0.0)

*TB, tuberculosis; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus.

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References
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