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Visits by presidents from around the world to the southern border will not change the fact that the border is porous and that more than 7.3 million illegal immigrants have reportedly crossed the border in the past three years. I believe this is a public health emergency, especially given that immigrants cannot be tested for the disease before entering the United States.
And not only do immigrants come from countries with higher rates of potentially deadly diseases such as measles, polio, drug-resistant tuberculosis, and chickenpox than in the United States, they also have lower vaccination rates and lower immigrant compliance rates. is also low. still.
I spoke with Dr. James Hodges, a prominent internist who works in Laredo, Texas, on the southern border. “More people in Texas are without documented immunizations. Childhood diseases like measles and mumps are on the rise. Abnormal skin diseases like resistant cutaneous leishmaniasis in Central America We are seeing several diseases: resistant tuberculosis, which has always occurred, but has increased even more in the past two years; primarily sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis, hepatitis C, and gonorrhea, which have increased significantly Especially the huge increase in syphilis. I’m worried that soon it will be the same everywhere as these immigrants are moving into sanctuary cities across the country! ”
Republicans warn of threat of migrant surge to hospitals in ‘sanctuary’ cities
Measles is a global problem, with 9 million cases expected in 2022 and a 79% increase in 2023, while vaccination rates are declining. There have been 35 cases in the United States this year, including the most recent outbreak in Florida, most of which have been traced to travelers.
Mass immunization protects children from large-scale outbreaks and remains an important public health measure with a very high level of protection, but it also increases our exposure to measles. (1 in 5 unvaccinated people may be hospitalized) is on the rise.
Consider that Yemen, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and India top the list of countries with the highest measles outbreaks. Last year alone, 40,000 Indians entered the United States illegally. It is impossible to test immigrants who come here from anywhere, including countries like India, for measles outbreaks. Our southern states have long had measles outbreaks caused by migrant workers.
The same applies not only to sexually transmitted diseases, which Hodges highlighted, but also to influenza, COVID-19, chickenpox, and resistant tuberculosis. Not to mention the dehydration, malnutrition, injuries and drowning that affect those attempting to cross. And then there are synthetic opioids like fentanyl and nitazene, which are freely smuggled across the porous southern border and fueling the drug epidemic across the United States.
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Most Americans have heard stories of relatives and ancestors who crossed here legally, either recently or centuries ago, when medical exams were an important part of the rite of passage, and who were delayed for health reasons. ing.
The need for public health barriers still exists, and in fact, Dr. Robert Redfield, who served as CDC director at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, said in 2020 that invoking Title 42 would be a new He told me it wasn’t just about coronavirus infections. Also for other infectious diseases.
Redfield is trying to protect not just COVID-19, but overwhelmed Customs and Border Protection agents exposed to influenza and other contagious diseases, as well as undocumented immigrants held in overcrowded facilities. he said. The problem is that it is essentially impossible to test illegal immigrants or, as Redfield told me, “process them in a way that is consistent with sound public health protocols.”
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Title 42 was created decades ago to enable emergency action, including “preventing the introduction of communicable diseases” when applicable. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, the problem is still there. Reinstating Title 42 could be a small step toward recognizing that an unsafe southern border contains significant public health risks.
Don’t get me wrong, infectious diseases are not unique to immigrants, but we don’t have the systematic capacity to test them for the disease or vaccinate them. At the very least, we must do our best to ensure that those entering this country do not endanger the rest of our population.
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