Thread: Leprosy cases have doubled in last FIVE years

I hope some of you caught the Paul Harvey segment on your local radio stations today. Very alarming news. There are now 7,000 cases of leprosy in the U.S. believed to have been brought in by illegal immigrants.
He said the number of cases has doubled in the last five years, and that many medical experts believe we are on the verge of an epidemic.

I will search the internet to see if I can find a copy of what he said, although, what he said is what I put here.

Those numbers are alarming if true, and contradict the amount of cases that were discussed in this article from a few months ago.

http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2005- ... canleprosy

In her senior year of high school, Nicole Holmes, a Trinidadian immigrant living in Atlanta, Ga., fell heavily against a balance beam during gym class. She thought nothing more of it--but a few days later developed a rash on her knee, which was still numb and tingling where she had knocked it. “I could stick a needle in it and I wouldn’t feel it,� she said.
Baffled, her doctor took a biopsy. And, although by now Holmes suspected something was seriously amiss, she was still shocked when the doctor told her what was wrong.
She had leprosy.
A new case of leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is diagnosed somewhere in the world every 60 seconds, but in the United States outbreaks remain rare. Only about 130 new cases are discovered each year, mostly among immigrants from areas such as Mexico, India or the Caribbean, where the disease is more widespread.
Over 100 cases were found in immigrants last year, more than double the number in 2000, and, while the number of cases is still comparatively small, some researchers believe the trend could lead to leprosy spreading to the U.S.-born population.
“It’s creeping into the U.S.,� said Dr. William Levis, head of the New York Hansen’s Disease Clinic. “This is a real phenomenon. It’s a public health threat. New York is endemic now, and nobody’s noticed.�
Tracking leprosy among immigrants can be difficult, but leprosy is already endemic in Texas, and numbers are rising in New York and California--all states with high immigrant populations. Dr. Levis said he believes America could be on the brink of an epidemic similar to those that swept Brazil and led to the country becoming a global leprosy hotspot.
“We just don’t know when these epidemics are going to occur,� he said. “But we’re on the cusp of it here, because we’re starting to see endemic cases that we didn’t see 25 years ago.�
At present, only about two dozen new cases of leprosy are found in US-born patients each year, a number that has not changed for decades, said Steve Pfeifer, head of statistics and epidemiology at the National Hansen’s Disease Program.
But the short time between many immigrants’ entry to the US and their diagnosis with leprosy suggests that some immigrants, mostly from Mexico, may now be coming to the U.S. specifically to seek treatment, Pfeifer said.
“They’re coming to be treated because they get treatment free and probably get better treatment here,� he said. “Somebody down there diagnoses them and says, ‘Hey, you’ve got leprosy, and your best course of action is probably high-tailing to the U.S.’�
Since the disease remains contagious until patients receive their first course of medication, an influx of diagnosed but untreated patients could lead to leprosy spreading into the US-born population.
Pfeifer said he had not made an official report on the trend for fear that anti-immigrant groups would call for a crackdown on centers providing free care for illegal aliens. He stressed that people with leprosy become non-infectious almost immediately after they receive treatment--and that most people who are exposed to leprosy in others never succumb to the disease.
Dr. Terry Williams, who runs a Houston-based clinic serving leprosy patients across southern Texas, said that the bulk of the cases treated by his clinic were immigrants. “A lot of our cases are imported,� he said. “We see patients from everywhere--Africa, the Philippines, China, South America.�
And at least some of those patients, he confirmed, were coming to the U.S. specifically to seek treatment. “Certainly we do see some of that,� he said. “We’ve had even a couple of patients from Cuba who were put on a boat by Castro just to get them out of the country--they made their way here through Mexico and Central America basically just to get treated.�
“We treat them; our job isn’t to be immigration police," he added.
Not all experts are so worried about an impending epidemic. Dr. Denis Daumerie, head of the World Health Organization’s leprosy elimination program, said fears that immigrants might lead to a resurgence of leprosy in the US were a little overblown. “There is no risk of an epidemic of leprosy,� he said. “There’s absolutely no risk that the few immigrants who are affected by the disease, if they are diagnosed and treated, will spread the disease in the US.�
The problem, researchers say, is that leprosy isn’t easy to diagnose, especially for doctors with no previous experience of the disease. American doctors often mistake it for other conditions like eczema or diabetes; and one recent study found that the average patient shows symptoms of leprosy for over two years before receiving an accurate diagnosis.
That means people remain infectious for longer--and are more likely to suffer serious health problems as a result of the disease. “You tend to find a higher disability rate in low-endemic countries because people don’t know about leprosy,� said Christopher Doyle, president of the American Leprosy Mission. “It’s out of sight, out of mind. People just don’t think about leprosy in the United States.�
For those who do receive timely treatment, however, prospects are good.
After a long course of medication, and extensive physical therapy, Nicole Holmes from Trinidad has regained sensation in her knee. She still has a few marks that won’t clear up, but she can pass them off as birthmarks if anyone asks.
Holmes will always have to be on the lookout for a return of the symptoms, but she gave birth recently and is now more concerned about raising her young son.
“If it’s going to happen it’s going to happen,� she said. “I just have to continue living

Brian, Those numbers are alarming, and I agree that article paints a very different picture!! I am sure of what I heard, because I was so shocked I wrote it down. Later today, I will again see if there is somewhere to get the Paul Harvey transcript online. However, I've always found his information to be very reliable. One things for sure, we should find out the truth on the matter. Unfortunately, I think we are going to find that the bleak news is accurate.

Found another article that appears to use the numbers closer to what you mentioned. It claims 7,000 cases in the past three years. I like to know where either article I posted is getting their numbers since they vary by quite a bit.

I think I understand the discrepancy between both articles now. The first one appears to be using older information from around 2000-2002, and didn't use more recent data. I don't understand why they didn't include the latest numbers. Probably Paul Harvey used the latest statistics, which means there has been a significant jump over a few years! Cases have gone from about a hundred a year to thousands.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44394


INVASION USA
Are illegals making
U.S. a leper colony?
'This is a real phenomenon. It's a public health threat. New York is endemic now, and nobody's noticed'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: May 22, 2005
5:11 p.m. Eastern



Leprosy is curable with proper treatment (photo: Columbia News Service)

Leprosy, the contagious skin disease evoking thoughts of biblical and medieval times, is now making its mark in the United States, and many believe the influx of illegal aliens is a main factor.

"Americans should be told that diseases long eradicated in this country – tuberculosis, leprosy, polio, for example – and other extremely contagious diseases have been linked directly to illegals," Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., told the Business Journal of Phoenix. "For example, in 40 years, only 900 persons were afflicted by leprosy in the U.S.; in the past three years, more than 7,000 cases have been presented."

"This emerging crisis exposes the upside-down thinking of federal immigration policy," he continued. "While legal immigrants must undergo health screening prior to entering the U.S., illegal immigrants far more likely to be carrying contagious diseases are crawling under that safeguard and going undetected until they infect extraordinary numbers of American residents."

The number of cases of leprosy, now known as Hansen's disease, among immigrants to the U.S. has more than doubled since 2000, according to a news report from Columbia University.

While the overall figure is small compared to other countries, some researchers fear the trend could lead to the disease spreading to the U.S.-born population.

"It's creeping into the U.S.," Dr. William Levis, head of the New York Hansen's Disease Clinic, told Columbia News Service. "This is a real phenomenon. It's a public health threat. New York is endemic now, and nobody's noticed."

Levis thinks America could be on the verge of an epidemic.

"We just don't know when these epidemics are going to occur," he said. "But we're on the cusp of it here, because we're starting to see endemic cases that we didn't see 25 years ago."

According to Steve Pfeifer, head of statistics and epidemiology at the National Hansen's Disease Program, only about two dozen new cases are found each year in U.S.-born patients, with that number remaining stable for decades.

But Pfeifer suggests many aliens are coming to the U.S. specifically to get treated for their skin condition, due to the short time between many immigrants' entry to the U.S. and their diagnosis with leprosy.

"They're coming to be treated because they get treatment free and probably get better treatment here," he told Columbia. "Somebody down there diagnoses them and says, 'Hey, you've got leprosy, and your best course of action is probably high-tailing to the U.S.'"



The fear is that since the disease remains contagious until treatment is commenced, a surge of diagnosed-but-untreated patients could mean a spread of leprosy into the population of those born in America.

Pfeifer said he had not issued an official report on the dangerous trend, fearing that anti-immigration groups would become vocal against centers providing free health care for illegals.

"A lot of our cases are imported," said Dr. Terry Williams, who treats leprosy victims in Houston. "We see patients from everywhere – Africa, the Philippines, China, South America."

Williams confirms that some of his patients came to the U.S. specifically for treatment, telling Columbia, "Certainly we do see some of that. We've had even a couple of patients from Cuba who were put on a boat by Castro just to get them out of the country – they made their way here through Mexico and Central America basically just to get treated. ... We treat them; our job isn't to be immigration police."

But not all experts have such a gloomy outlook.

Dr. Denis Daumerie, head of the World Health Organization's leprosy-elimination program, thinks claims of immigrants causing a spike in U.S. leprosy are overstated.

"There is no risk of an epidemic of leprosy," he told Columbia. "There's absolutely no risk that the few immigrants who are affected by the disease, if they are diagnosed and treated, will spread the disease in the U.S."

Here it is, Brian. http://paulharvey.com/

Go there and click on Monday NOON. Quite disturbing.

I'm shocked that more information isn't being given in the media about these new figures. They are re-diseasing us with illnesses that have been eradicated 40-50 years ago. I won't be surprised if Polio becomes born-again. This is very disturbing!

Originally Posted by butterbean

I'm shocked that more information isn't being given in the media about these new figures. They are re-diseasing us with illnesses that have been eradicated 40-50 years ago. I won't be surprised if Polio becomes born-again. This is very disturbing!

At least as long as your immunized Polio isn't a problem to worry about.

I was listening to the Mike Savage talk Show he talked about and also Frosty Wooldridge, it's all over his website and his books I think but I can't get his website to work


[url]http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44394

INVASION USA
Are illegals making
U.S. a leper colony?
'This is a real phenomenon. It's a public health threat. New York is endemic now, and nobody's noticed'
Posted: May 22, 2005
5:11 p.m. Eastern


© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com


Leprosy is curable with proper treatment (photo: Columbia News Service)

Leprosy, the contagious skin disease evoking thoughts of biblical and medieval times, is now making its mark in the United States, and many believe the influx of illegal aliens is a main factor.

"Americans should be told that diseases long eradicated in this country – tuberculosis, leprosy, polio, for example – and other extremely contagious diseases have been linked directly to illegals," Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., told the Business Journal of Phoenix. "For example, in 40 years, only 900 persons were afflicted by leprosy in the U.S.; in the past three years, more than 7,000 cases have been presented."

"This emerging crisis exposes the upside-down thinking of federal immigration policy," he continued. "While legal immigrants must undergo health screening prior to entering the U.S., illegal immigrants far more likely to be carrying contagious diseases are crawling under that safeguard and going undetected until they infect extraordinary numbers of American residents."

The number of cases of leprosy, now known as Hansen's disease, among immigrants to the U.S. has more than doubled since 2000, according to a news report from Columbia University.

While the overall figure is small compared to other countries, some researchers fear the trend could lead to the disease spreading to the U.S.-born population.

"It's creeping into the U.S.," Dr. William Levis, head of the New York Hansen's Disease Clinic, told Columbia News Service. "This is a real phenomenon. It's a public health threat. New York is endemic now, and nobody's noticed."

Levis thinks America could be on the verge of an epidemic.

"We just don't know when these epidemics are going to occur," he said. "But we're on the cusp of it here, because we're starting to see endemic cases that we didn't see 25 years ago."

According to Steve Pfeifer, head of statistics and epidemiology at the National Hansen's Disease Program, only about two dozen new cases are found each year in U.S.-born patients, with that number remaining stable for decades.

But Pfeifer suggests many aliens are coming to the U.S. specifically to get treated for their skin condition, due to the short time between many immigrants' entry to the U.S. and their diagnosis with leprosy.

"They're coming to be treated because they get treatment free and probably get better treatment here," he told Columbia. "Somebody down there diagnoses them and says, 'Hey, you've got leprosy, and your best course of action is probably high-tailing to the U.S.'"

The fear is that since the disease remains contagious until treatment is commenced, a surge of diagnosed-but-untreated patients could mean a spread of leprosy into the population of those born in America.

Pfeifer said he had not issued an official report on the dangerous trend, fearing that anti-immigration groups would become vocal against centers providing free health care for illegals.

"A lot of our cases are imported," said Dr. Terry Williams, who treats leprosy victims in Houston. "We see patients from everywhere – Africa, the Philippines, China, South America."

Williams confirms that some of his patients came to the U.S. specifically for treatment, telling Columbia, "Certainly we do see some of that. We've had even a couple of patients from Cuba who were put on a boat by Castro just to get them out of the country – they made their way here through Mexico and Central America basically just to get treated. ... We treat them; our job isn't to be immigration police."

But not all experts have such a gloomy outlook.

Dr. Denis Daumerie, head of the World Health Organization's leprosy-elimination program, thinks claims of immigrants causing a spike in U.S. leprosy are overstated.

"There is no risk of an epidemic of leprosy," he told Columbia. "There's absolutely no risk that the few immigrants who are affected by the disease, if they are diagnosed and treated, will spread the disease in the U.S."

After doing more research I am confused to where they are getting the 7,000 estimate. I can't find anything to support those numbers. Unfortunately all the articles and the Paul Harvey program are using vague statistics. If anyone can find a more detailed report please post a link.

If anyone is interested I did find a pdf file that has a lot of information and statistics of leprosy in the U.S, during 2004, only 131 cases were reported during the entire year. They also have a graph covering the number of cases from 1975-2004.


ftp://ftp.hrsa.gov/bphc/pdf/nhdp/2004Regreport.pdf