July 23, 2008

CDC: increased TB due to immigration; others: tropical diseases due to immigrants, others

From the AP as printed in the Washington Post (link):

Tuberculosis cases continue to fall in the United States, but some immigrants have disturbingly high rates of the disease, according to a study released Tuesday that called for more aggressive action... TB rates were highest among residents from lower Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. Most drug-resistant TB cases also were from foreign-born residents, the study noted...

The study is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), so it's pretty solid.

And, on June 25 the Los Angeles Times discussed another study from Dr. Peter Hotez, "chairman of George Washington University's department of microbiology, immunology and tropical disease" and "published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases":

Despite plummeting mortality rates for most infectious diseases over the last century, a group of largely overlooked bacterial, viral and parasitic infections is still plaguing the nation's poor... ...Many of the diseases are typically associated with tropical developing countries [and] have become significant public health problems in the United States. In the Los Angeles area, a pork tapeworm infection called cysticercosis which spreads in crowded, unsanitary conditions, accounts for 10% of seizures resulting in emergency room visits... The diseases are largely concentrated in poverty-stricken regions, including Appalachia, inner cities, the Mississippi Delta and the border with Mexico...

It's important to note that the second study seems to indicate that some of the conditions may not be related to immigration, however it would be incredibly surprising if the pork bit isn't directly related to immigration.

Note also that supporters of illegal activity like the ADL seem to think it's "hate" to point out that some immigrants are indeed bringing some diseases into the U.S., so feel free to turn those responsible for the reports above and for reporting on them into your local hate speech monitoring center.

Posted to Immigration2008a at July 23, 2008 08:02 PM