Thread: Undocumented Immigrants: Raising Tuberculosis Risk?

Health Care Barriers for Undocumented Immigrants: Raising Tuberculosis Risk?
Thursday, October 30, 2008 :: infoZine Staff
A new study raises the question, do barriers to health care for undocumented immigrants increase the public health risk of tuberculosis?


Arlington, VA - infoZineThe study, published in the November 15, 2008 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and now available online, suggests that undocumented immigrants with tuberculosis have symptoms longer before seeking care than documented immigrants or U.S.-born patients, resulting in more severe symptoms and more opportunities for transmission. These findings raise questions about the value to both patients and the public of improving access to health care for undocumented immigrants.

Rates of tuberculosis are declining overall in the United States, but the proportion occurring among foreign-born persons is increasing and the case rate is almost 10 times higher than that among persons born in the United States. Furthermore, funding for tuberculosis elimination is declining, leading to concerns about a resurgence of the disease.

In a review of medical records for patients diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis at a New York City hospital between April 1999 and March 2005, the authors of this study investigated whether there were any differences in clinical presentation among U.S.-born, foreign-born and documented, or foreign-born and undocumented individuals. Of 194 patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis, 31 percent were U.S.-born, 32 percent were foreign-born and documented, and 37 percent were foreign-born and undocumented. Undocumented patients exhibited an increased frequency of cough, bloody expectoration, and a much longer duration of symptoms prior to hospitalization compared to U.S.-born patients.

The median symptom duration in undocumented patients was eight weeks, compared to four weeks in U.S.-born and documented foreign-born patients. The significantly higher frequency of cough combined with prolonged symptom duration in undocumented foreign-born individuals could potentially lead to an increased exposure of close contacts. Whether or not they transmit tuberculosis more often than documented foreign-born or U.S.-born individuals, and what role barriers to health care access plays, requires further investigation.

"This is a small study and the findings are preliminary," said study author Dr. Jacqueline Achkar, MD, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "If larger studies confirm our data, it raises a legitimate public health issue. We will need to identify and address barriers to health care access for undocumented immigrants. Such an initiative would benefit both the population studied as well as the health of the public."

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op ... sid/31548/

My favorite illegal alien disease is the Guinea worm

http://www.darksideofillegalimmigration.com/page13.html

DISEASES
Legal immigrants are required to have medical screening to ensure that they do not bring any contagious diseases into the United States. Illegal aliens are not screened and many are carrying horrific third world diseases that do not belong in the USA. Many of these diseases are highly contagious and will infect citizens that come in contact with an infected illegal alien. This has already happened in restaurants, schools, and police forces.

Malaria was eradicated from the USA in the 1940s but recently there were outbreaks in southern California, New Jersey, New York City, and Houston. Additionally, Malaria tainted blood has been discovered in the blood supply.

Dengue was first recognized in the 1950s, affects most Asian countries and has become a leading cause of death among children in the infected areas. Heretofore unknown in the US, Dengue outbreaks have now occurred in the United States.

Leprosy, a scourge of Biblical days, is caused by a bacillus agent and is now know as Hansen’s Disease. In the 40 years prior to 2002, there were only 900 total cases of leprosy in the US. In the following three years there have been 9,000 cases and most were illegal aliens.

As noted in the article Leprosy in America: new cause for concern by Dr. William Levis, head of the New York Hansen’s Disease Clinic. “It’s creeping into the U.S. …This is a real phenomenon. It’s a public health threat. New York is endemic now, and nobody’s noticed.â€

Don't eat out any more. Save your health and your money.

Originally Posted by PFWAG

My favorite illegal alien disease is the Guinea worm

http://www.darksideofillegalimmigration.com/page13.html

Geeze, thats nasty!!!!!!!!!! Got to be one of the ost disgusting diseases out there....

it would make a great show and tell in your children's school....