Thread: Group targets food handlers

Posted on Mon, Apr. 16, 2007

Group targets food handlers
By PATRICK McGEE
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

DAVE MCELWEE A local group opposed to illegal immigration wants new health measures in Tarrant County to stem what they claim is a threat of diseases brought by illegal immigrants.

Tarrant Alliance for Responsible Government wants all food workers screened by a doctor, nurse or clinic for an assortment of contagious diseases before they are allowed to work.

But medical experts and top government officials say existing rules requiring inspections, hand washing and hourlong mandatory training for food handlers already give the needed protection. They say physical exams of would be an unneeded expense and, worse, a way to ostracize people.

TARG president Dave McElwee alleges that said that food-borne diseases are "at epidemic or near epidemic proportions," and his 13-page report claims the danger is validated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a U.S. government agency known as the CDC.

"According to the CDC, compelling evidence exists indicating that the source of many of these diseases come from those entering the county illegally," the proposal says.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokeswoman Lola Russell said that's not true; the agency does not track diseases among immigrants, legal or illegal.

Taking a stand

Last year, TARG got a tax freeze for senior citizens on the county ballot that overwhelmingly passed in the November election. On the heels of that victory, McElwee, an Arlington resident, promised to make his next project an attack on illegal immigration. "We are going to force these local officials one way or another," he said.

He said his organization's proposal for new health regulations has less muscle than he originally pledged, but he said it still addresses illegal immigration.

"We just changed our mind, that's all. We just decided to go after this [health] issue in particular because it does have a relationship" to illegal immigration, McElwee said. "Due to the problems that were being experienced in some of these cities with lawsuits and stuff like that, we decided not to go there, it's too complicated."

Cities such as Farmers Branch and Hazelton, Pa., have been sued for passing anti-illegal immigration ordinances. McElwee said his group's health proposal is a good approach because it's "racially neutral" and addresses a public health need.

Fort Worth spokeswoman Amy Casas said city officials will not comment on the TARG proposal until they formally receive it.

Lee Hitchcock, director of community services for Arlington, said that he met with McElwee on Friday but that he will not have a comment until he reads the proposal.

David Jefferson, environmental health manager of the Tarrant County Health Department, is among several experts who think inspections and hand-washing rules already in place are better than what TARG has in mind.

Experts have doubts

Jefferson said only two of the 11 diseases listed in the TARG report can be transmitted through food: hepatitis A and shigella.

"Those two are already endemic to the United States. It has nothing to do with immigration," Jefferson said.

The TARG proposal also talks of exotic diseases like eye worm and brain worm.

Michael Doyle, director of the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety, said TARG's proposal misses the three most common food-borne diseases: salmonella, campylobacter and norovirus, nasty diarrhea- and vomit-inducing sicknesses that are prevented through hand washing.

Elmer DePaula, Fort Worth's acting consumer health manager, said the city has had one food-borne illness in five years, and that was at a day care center.

TARG's health certification idea is "complete nonsense" to Dr. Timothy Jones, Tennessee's deputy epidemiologist who consults with the CDC on the study of food-borne diseases.

"It would do nothing to increase safety," Jones said. "It would also add a tremendous amount of expense."

He said certifications would only show the person was disease-free on the day the certification was issued. He or she could contract a disease immediately thereafter.

Dr. Victor Tsang, chief of the CDC's immunochemistry lab, agreed and said an emphasis on hand washing really is the best protection.

Tsang worries that certifying people's health could encroach on their rights.

"If you expand this a little further, you can conjure up scenarios of back in the Middle Ages when leprosy patients were shunned," he said. "The next step would be if you're carrying a contagious disease maybe you shouldn't be near anyone else."

So does the industry

Pamela Carlton, owner of Beef o'Brady's in North Richland Hills, said the law already requires restaurants to do a lot, and TARG's proposal would be excessive.

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," she said. "No matter where you go, you are going to come into contact with people. Are you going to not shake hands with people because they might have a communicable disease?"

She said certifications are impracticable because many restaurant workers are students who only work for three months in the summer.

Glen Garey, general council for the Texas Restaurant Association, agreed with Carlton and the health experts, and he noted that restaurants are taking steps to prevent disease because any outbreak would be bad for business.

"It's terrible for a restaurant," he said. "You get that in the press and it could be the end of the business."

Patrick McGee, 817-685-3806 pmcgee@star-telegram.com

http://www.star-telegram.com/189/story/69899.html

A medical examination is mandatory for all refugees coming to the U.S. and all applicants outside the U.S. applying for an immigrant visa. Aliens in the United States who apply for adjustment of their immigration status to that of permanent resident are also required to be medically examined. Aliens applying for nonimmigrant visas (temporary admission) may be required to undergo a medical examination at the discretion of the consular officer overseas or immigration officer at the U.S. port of entry, if there is reason to suspect that an inadmissible health-related condition exists.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/health.htm

Looks pretty much like everybody coming into the US legally requires medical clearance. Illegal aliens are the only ones able to skirt yet another law.

Guatemala

Illegal aliens from Guatemala that have not been screened can be expected to have much higher levels of...

Infectious Diseases and Medical Concerns for Guatemala

The following medical diseases or health concerns are more common in travel to Guatemala (compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World):

* travelers’ diarrhea
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* schistosomiasis - found in fresh water
* typhoid fever
* Insect born diseases
* parasitic diseases
* Dengue fever
* filariasis
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* onchocerciasis
* American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease)
* toxoplasmosis
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* hepatitis B

Source link and details on each disease at
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Brazil

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The following medical diseases or health concerns are more common in travel to Brazil (compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World):

* travelers’ diarrhea
* cholera
* malaria
* Escherichia coli diarrhea
* hepatitis A
* schistosomiasis - found in fresh water
* typhoid fever
* Insect born diseases
* parasitic diseases
* Dengue fever
* filariasis
* leishmaniasis
* onchocerciasis
* American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease)
* toxoplasmosis
* HIV
* AIDS
* hepatitis B
* hepatitis C
* amebiasis
* diptheria - endemic to the region
* Hantavirus - in some rural/farming areas

Source and Disease details
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MEXICO

Infectious Diseases and Medical Concerns for Mexico

The following medical diseases or health concerns are more common in travel to Mexico (compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World):

* travelers’ diarrhea
* cholera
* malaria
* Escherichia coli diarrhea
* hepatitis A
* schistosomiasis - found in fresh water
* typhoid fever
* Insect born diseases
* parasitic diseases
* Dengue fever
* filariasis
* leishmaniasis
* onchocerciasis
* American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease)
* toxoplasmosis
* HIV
* AIDS
* hepatitis B
* amebiasis
* Brucellosis - avoid unpasteurized dairy products

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* Dengue fever

▲TopLess Common Diseases and Health Concerns for Mexico

The following health concerns or medical diseases are less commonly found in Mexico compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World:

* plague - risk for travelers is small
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Source and disease details at
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/travel-health/mexico.htm


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Infectious Diseases and Medical Concerns for Panama

The following medical diseases or health concerns are more common in travel to Panama (compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World):

* travelers’ diarrhea
* cholera
* malaria
* Escherichia coli diarrhea
* hepatitis A
* schistosomiasis - found in fresh water
* typhoid fever
* Insect born diseases
* parasitic diseases
* Dengue fever
* filariasis
* leishmaniasis
* onchocerciasis
* American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease)
* toxoplasmosis
* HIV
* AIDS
* hepatitis B
* Hantavirus - in some rural/farming areas

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The following health concerns or diseases are more commonly found in Panama compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World:

* motor vehicle trauma - wear seatbelts and avoid night driving
* drownings due to strong currents
* rips and undertows are common

▲TopEpidemics for Panama

The following health concerns, diseases or comments are related to epidemics in Panama:

* Dengue fever

▲TopLess Common Diseases and Health Concerns for Panama

The following health concerns or medical diseases are less commonly found in Panama compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World:

* plague - risk for travelers is small


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CHINA

Infectious Diseases and Medical Concerns for China

The following medical diseases or health concerns are more common in travel to China (compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World):

* travelers’ diarrhea
* cholera
* malaria
* Escherichia coli diarrhea
* hepatitis A
* schistosomiasis - found in fresh water
* typhoid fever
* Insect born diseases
* parasitic diseases
* Dengue fever
* filariasis
* Japanese encephalitis
* leishmaniasis
* plague - risk for travelers is small
* toxoplasmosis
* HIV
* AIDS
* hepatitis B
* hepatitis C
* amebiasis
* diptheria - endemic to the region
* Tuberculosis

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/travel-health/china.htm

----

El Salvador

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The following medical diseases or health concerns are more common in travel to El Salvador (compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World):

* travelers’ diarrhea
* cholera
* malaria
* Escherichia coli diarrhea
* hepatitis A
* schistosomiasis - found in fresh water
* typhoid fever
* Insect born diseases
* parasitic diseases
* Dengue fever
* filariasis
* leishmaniasis
* onchocerciasis
* American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease)
* toxoplasmosis
* HIV
* AIDS
* hepatitis B

▲TopMore Common Diseases and Medical Concerns for El Salvador

The following health concerns or diseases are more commonly found in El Salvador compared to the USA and other areas of the Western World:

* motor vehicle trauma - wear seatbelts and avoid night driving

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The following health concerns, diseases or comments are related to epidemics in El Salvador:

* Dengue fever

Source link and disease detail
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/travel-he ... lvador.htm[/b]

Tarrant Alliance for Responsible Government wants all food workers screened by a doctor, nurse or clinic for an assortment of contagious diseases before they are allowed to work.

Since this isn't politically correct we would probably be accused of racial profiling.

TEXAS! This is wonderful news!!



Finally a state willing to tackle this urgent issue!

They say physical exams of would be an unneeded expense and, worse, a way to ostracize people.

Tsang worries that certifying people's health could encroach on their rights.

"If you expand this a little further, you can conjure up scenarios of back in the Middle Ages when leprosy patients were shunned," he said. "The next step would be if you're carrying a contagious disease maybe you shouldn't be near anyone else."

"No matter where you go, you are going to come into contact with people. Are you going to not shake hands with people because they might have a communicable disease?"


I wonder if this is what Darwin meant when he wrote about natural selection and survival of the fittest. With absolute idiots like these making such ludicris remarks, it is a wonder we are not all dead already.