Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Hmong refugees resettling from Thailand into the United States, 2004-2005.

In December 2003, the U.S. Department of State initiated a resettlement program for 15,707 Hmong refugees who had been displaced from Laos and were living on the grounds of Wat Tham Krabok, a Buddhist temple in Thailand. In January 2005, reports of tuberculosis (TB) cases among refugees still in Thailand and refugees who had arrived in the United States, including some cases caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, prompted a 1-month travel suspension. After enhanced screening in Thailand and intensified TB-control measures in the United States, resettlement resumed on February 16. A majority of the Hmong refugees in Thailand and the United States with TB diagnosed were started on treatment and monitored. As of July 15, no additional TB cases had been diagnosed among newly resettled Hmong refugees. U.S. health departments should continue to ensure careful monitoring for TB among this refugee group.