Thread: Gwinett Co., GA: TB on rise in county due to illegal immigra

TB on rise in county
Spike likely due to influx of immigrants

By Heather Darenberg
Staff Writer

LAWRENCEVILLE - The number of tuberculosis cases in Gwinnett County is on the rise, health officials say.

Gwinnett now has the second highest rate of TB cases in Georgia, following Fulton County, said Vernon Goins, spokesman for the county health department. The county was previously ranked No. 3, behind Fulton and DeKalb counties.

Last year, there were 55 active cases of TB reported in Gwinnett, Goins said. This year, the same number of active cases has been reported, and with five months to go until the year ends, the number for 2008 will likely increase.

Goins said the increase is probably because of Gwinnett's large immigrant population. While people who enter the country legally are tested for contagious diseases such as TB, Goins said there is no way to check those who come here illegally - until they present with symptoms.

"We can't do anything about the numbers coming into the county, but we can combat it to help the people of Gwinnett by having state-of-the-art equipment and competent personnel," Goins said.

Treating TB is a time- and labor-intensive process, but Goins said the East Metro Health District's Preventive Health Clinic in Lawrenceville can help.

"We have the best facility possible now to combat the increase," Goins said.

The clinic, which opened in 2006, is a special center that focuses on the treatment of TB infection and disease. It serves residents of the East Metro Health District, which includes Gwinnett, Rockdale and Newton counties.

As a safeguard to employees, the entire clinic contains negative pressure, which helps prevent the spread of TB, Goins said.

People who suspect they have been exposed to the tuberculosis bacterium can request a skin test at the clinic at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 400, in Lawrenceville. Skin tests cost $25.

For more information about services, call 678-442-6880.
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.a ... nID=84&S=1

needless to say this is not good for the public. Now "They" make us all Paranoid