Unaccompanied Children at the Border
CDC understands that people may have concerns about issues related to unaccompanied children from Central America who are crossing into the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are leading the humanitarian response, which includes housing, feeding, and providing necessary medical evaluation and treatment to protect public health. In support of HHS and DHS activities, CDC is providing consultation on medical screening, surveillance, and public health response when requested.
To learn more about the broader federal humanitarian response, go to:
- Federal agency roles and five-step process for addressing the immediate needs of the unaccompanied children (Infographic)
- DHS Customs and Border Protection (CBP) role in addressing the humanitarian challenges of unaccompanied children at the southwest border
- HHS Administration for Children and Families (ACF) unaccompanied children frequently asked questions
- HHS ACF Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) role in providing assistance to unaccompanied alien children
- HHS ACF unaccompanied alien children program fact sheet [PDF – 2 pages]
- White House fact sheet on unaccompanied children from Central America
- CDC Factsheet on Unaccompanied Children: Health Information for Public Health Partners [PDF – 3 pages]
- CDC MMWR article: Hospitalizations for Respiratory Disease Among Unaccompanied Children from Central America — Multiple States, June–July 2014
- US Customs and Border Protection Information on Unaccompanied Children
- CDC Zika Factsheet for Unaccompanied Children in Spanish: Aviso de Salud, Zika [PDF – 1 page]
- CDC Zika Factsheet for Unaccompanied Children in English: Health Advisory, Zika [PDF – 1 page]
- Page last reviewed: July 29, 2016
- Page last updated: July 29, 2016
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