Dr. Mark Siegel
In 1903, Grandfather Alex entered the United States from Białystok, Poland, after his parents were murdered in a pogrom. Upon arriving in America, he did not enter the country immediately, even though his brother had already arrived. Instead, he first waited at Ellis Island in New York Harbor so that he could not only be processed, but also tested for tuberculosis and other contagious diseases.
Granted, the vetting methods back then were less effective than they are today, but the immigrants knew it was part of gaining admission to this Promised Land, the Sanctuary Land.
120 years later, I was recently out in the street in front of my office when I witnessed a man lying almost motionless in 100-degree heat. I checked him with a stethoscope and found that he was still breathing. I called 911 and an ambulance took him to the hospital in Bellevue where I was trained. Ambulance crews believed the man was an immigrant who had crossed the border from Mexico, and said he was bused to New York City without detention and had nowhere to go but on the street.
Mayor Eric Adams initially welcomed our sanctuary city status, but with nearly 100,000 asylum seekers coming to New York City since the spring of 2022, he is now on alert. manifesting. Our shelters are full and there are few other places they go. Streets and summer heat.
Adams has made extensive petitions to the state and to Gov. Kathy Hochul, but so far they have had little success. A public health emergency for the city is also a public health emergency for the state and country. USA TODAY just reported “plans to use $25 million in state funds to rent temporary housing for up to 1,250 asylum-seeking families who choose to leave crowded shelters in New York City.” But this is just a drop in the bucket.
Migrants may be carriers of infectious diseases
Last week I also found myself camping outside the Roosevelt Hotel here in Manhattan, with no proper means of washing or toileting, no guarantee of hydration, and eyes full of sad expectancy. Visited immigrants, including many children staring.
They were soon at risk of dehydration and dysentery. I offered them medical services, but they proudly refused.
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Migrants may be bringing infectious diseases across the southern border. These ailments accompany them when they travel by bus to New York and elsewhere. A recent study showed that more than 4% of Latin American immigrants to Europe suffer from Chagas disease. It can be transmitted without help from animals or blood-sucking insects and can lead to serious complications such as heart failure.
Tuberculosis is on the rise in this country, as is syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that immigration applicants with infectious diseases cannot enter the United States, but, like illegal immigrants, they cannot be prevented from entering unless they undergo regular pre-entry testing.
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CDC Global Migration and Quarantine Service spokeswoman Neha Jagi Soud said the CDC has a “comprehensive system for tracking infectious diseases” but does not “track diseases by entry status.” told me
“Underreporting can happen,” Sued added.
Dr. James Hodges, a physician who practices at the Texas border, said from his own experience that “open borders” in the U.S. have led to drug-resistant tuberculosis because patients are only partially treated with over-the-counter antibiotics. said to be increasing. Available in Mexico.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb of Southern Arizona told me: “Border patrols and local authorities have observed diseases of all kinds, including tuberculosis, scabies, novel coronavirus, hepatitis A and B, gonorrhea, syphilis, mumps, chickenpox, and dengue fever. When the debate raged on over the repeal of the law allowing entry denials to limit It was about all the other health hazards brought in.”
Dr. Paul Offitt, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a recent radio interview that measles is the reason he can’t sleep at night. He may be right, as measles vaccination rates are declining and not all illegal immigrants are tested for measles before entering the country.
Measles and other vaccines have been made available to eligible US-bound immigrants and refugees, but have not yet been implemented.
Health risks escalate wherever immigrants are sent, including here in New York City. A porous border is not only a national security crisis, but a public health emergency.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a member of the USA TODAY Contributors Committee, is Professor of Medicine at New York University Langone Health and Medical Director of Dr. Radio. His latest book is ‘COVID: The Politics of Fear and the Power of Science’. Follow him on Twitter: @DrMarcSiegel