From International Adoption: How to Choose a Country:

8. Evaluate the possible health and emotional risks for each country.

As I discussed in my last post, International Adoption: Life Before Adoption, whether a child lives in a foster home or an orphanage can affect the child’s emotional and/or physical health. In addition to the type of home in which the child lived, there are other considerations that can affect a child from country to country.

On the Transracial/Transcultural blog, Erin does a great job outlining possible health and emotional risks in her post, Health concerns in Adoption. In this post, Erin touches on the following potential serious health issues:

• Hepatitis B


• HIV+ children


• Tuberculosis

She also discusses quite a few minor health issues, such as the following:

• Colds


• Ear infections


• Giardia


• Intestinal parasites


• Lice


• Ringworm


• Scabies

Her post closes with a list of adoption health resources. Her post is a “must-read” for anyone who is considering adopting internationally.

Be sure to research the types of health issues that are more likely in different countries, and assess whether you feel able to handle parenting a child with those issues. Be very honest with yourself as you make this assessment.

Try not to let the possible health risks scare you away from adopting internationally. Erin’s post points out that many children who are adopted internationally do not have health issues. She points out that –

When you look at the thousands and thousands of children who are adopted every year and do not have any serious unknown illnesses or conditions, the odds are good that your child won't either. There are countless healthy children of all ages waiting to be adopted.

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My friends who adopted from Romania have two healthy children. One is small for his age, but the other has no health aftereffects whatsoever.

As for emotional risks, research the signs of attachment disorders. The Reactive Attachment Disorder blog is a good resource. Be sure to have a qualified pediatrician with experience with international adoptions look over the referral for any signs of attachment issues. Attachment can be an issue, no matter what country you consider. However, the more bonding that takes place in a foster care or orphanage, the lower the risk of adopting a child with attachment issues.

Related Topics:

• How to decide to adopt internationally



• How to evaluate adoption options



• How to Evaluate the Different Types of Adoption




• International Adoption blog