State puts forward emergency money as TB, syphilis cases increase

The Business Journal of Phoenix - 8:10 AM MST

Friday, July 20, 2007by Mike Sunnucks

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has ordered the allocation of $395,000 in state emergency health funds to help deal with increased cases of tuberculosis and congenital syphilis.

Both of those diseases are on the rise in the state, with links to illegal immigration.

Napolitano ordered that $295,000 be used to combat the spread of TB. The state reports a 12 percent increase in TB cases over the past year.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that Mexico has a higher tuberculosis rate than the U.S. The CDC also reports Mexican and Latin American immigrants are boosting TB cases in the U.S., and Mexican border areas tend to have high TB rates.

Napolitano also released $100,000 to help deal with cases of congenital syphilis among pregnant women. That disease can cause birth defects in newborn babies.

The state reports that Arizona has one of the highest congenital syphilis rates in the U.S. The state money is aimed at Hispanic women.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that immigrants from Mexico, Latin America and Southeast Asia have high rates of congenital syphilis, TB and a number of other diseases.

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