Children adopted internationally can come home with both known and unknown medical issues that parents should be prepared to address. CHI expects that children have an appointment to visit a doctor with international expertise within days of returning home. There are many resources available to aid parents in caring for the medical needs of their children.

In general the medical issues of adopted children can be:

Malnutrition and related infirmities
Developmental delays
Institutionalization related delays
Low birth rate delays
Attachment and bonding issues
Hepatitis A/B
Exposure to Tuberculosis

Further, children adopted in Eastern European (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Russia and Moldova) may have medical issues related to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

For more information on both traveling abroad and medical issues by country specifically, you can visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/.

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        Medical Resources by State

        Medical Resources for Special Needs