Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): 2013 Hansen’s Disease Technical Instructions

What are the Hansen’s Disease Technical Instructions?

HHS/CDC regulations require that all immigrants and refugees coming to the United States be screened for Hansen’s disease. CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) develops physician guidelines, called Technical Instructions, for evaluation of applicants for Hansen’s disease and treatment of affected immigrants and refugees.

What was updated in the 2013 Hansen’s Disease Technical Instructions?

The Hansen’s Disease Technical Instructions were updated in 2013 for both panel physicians and civil surgeons.

The CDC Hansen’s Disease Technical Instructions, effective January 1, 2013, updated the requirements for treatment and classification to bring them in line with current medical standards.

• Treatment requirements were modernized to reflect the current World Health Organization and the United States National Hansen’s Disease Program guidelines for treatment of Hansen’s disease.
• The length of time that an individual with either multibacillary or paucibacillary Hansen’s disease must be treated before s/he can be reclassified as Class B has been changed to 7 days.

How has this revision affected the validity period for Hansen’s disease evaluation?

The expiration date for the Hansen’s disease evaluation will be the same as the expiration date for the tuberculosis (TB) evaluation in the country of examination. If, for example, the expiration period for an applicant’s TB evaluation is 6 months, the Hansen’s disease evaluation will expire at the same time, and the applicant will need to be re-evaluated for Hansen’s disease when s/he has a repeat medical examination to update the tuberculosis evaluation. This change will align validity periods for the medical examination as much as possible and help avoid confusion.