Researchers at the University of Alberta are suggesting that all children adopted from countries outside North America be screened for tuberculosis. Their recent study found that, in the Canadian province of Alberta, 40 percent of children who were diagnosed with TB were international adoptees.

"Most international adoptees are younger than five years of age and frequently come from resource-poor countries where tuberculosis is common and pre-natal screenings for infectious diseases are rare, say Richard Long, MD, professor in Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Alberta and lead author of the study."

Long reminds people that the Mantoux tuberculin skin test should be used, and children treated accordingly if the test results are positive. Read more at Huliq.com.

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Labels: international, health, disease

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Children in foster care are more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases, according to a new study from the University of Washington.

• Girls were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as having casual partners or a high number of them, or accepting money in exchange for sex.
• Boys in foster care did not show an increased likelihood of risky sexual behaviors compared to boys not in foster care.
• Researchers used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health collected on over 14,000 children and young adults.

"If our findings are confirmed," the researchers wrote, "then health care providers for current and former foster youth should consider modifying their screening practices to reflect the increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases of this youth."

Labels: foster care, disease, sex

Posted By: Adoption Issues 0 Comments