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| Higher disease rates attributed to influx of illegals |
| 05.25.05 (7:54 am) [edit] |
|
By Angela Gonzales and Mike Sunnucks The Business Journal of Phoenix Updated: 8:00 p.m. ET May 15, 2005 Arizona hospitals and doctors are worried about the resurgence of some serious infectious diseases, and some believe illegal immigrants are the cause. A rise in diseases such as whooping cough, tuberculosis, malaria, measles and even leprosy are creating public health concerns and could hit hospitals and health care systems already financially burdened by indigent illegals flooding emergency rooms and urgent care centers. The resurgence also is fueling conservative calls for tougher border security and could cause problems for Arizona industries that rely on migrant workers for jobs in food services, construction, tourism and agriculture. The Maricopa County Health Department reported earlier this month a 100 percent increase in the number of cases of whooping cough (pertussis) over the past year. TB concerns grow Hospitals and health care professionals also are concerned about Mexican immigrants bringing tuberculosis with them to border states such as Arizona. "I've been in practice in Arizona for 25 years," said Dr. Tim Kuberski, president of the Arizona Infectious Disease Society. "The one disease that is most often associated with undocumented aliens is tuberculosis because there is a resurgence in the number of cases of TB." The federal government reports that while TB is on the decline nationally, Hispanics are the most-likely ethnic group to have the disease, and high TB rates in Mexican border areas are a big concern. Recent federal reports found that Mexican border regions have high rates of infectious diseases and that half of U.S. TB cases are from immigrants. TB rates in U.S. border regions, including Arizona, are "roughly double the national rate, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The department reports the TB rate for Mexican border areas is greater than the Mexican national rate. Greg Padilla, chief executive of Maryvale Hospital Medical Center, agreed. "Typically, TB shows up in a lot of border cities," he said. Limited health care access, lack of vaccinations, migratory population movements and poor living conditions all encourage the spread of TB and limit its treatment in border areas. There were 14,500 TB cases in the U.S. last year. Mexico has 16,000 cases annually, with one quarter coming from border areas. The U.S. has a population of 296 million; Mexico 106 million persons. Dr. Fritz Bredeek, an infectious disease specialist with El Rio Special Immunology Associates in Tucson, said tuberculosis is his biggest concern when it comes to people crossing the border illegally and bringing their diseases into the U.S. "Tuberculosis is a contagious disease brought in from any poor country because TB is in countries with a poor health care structure, whether that is in Mexico or Eastern Europe or Asia or Africa," Bredeek said. "So that's certainly an infectious disease we do see." Wake up, Bush, Congress. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1410147/ posts" title="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1410147/ posts" target="_blank"http://www.freerepublic.com/f... |
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