The diseases brought into this country by illegal aliens has been under the radar for way to long. Another reason for aggressive border protection.
South Carolina Ping
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Posted on 06/21/2007 7:43:39 AM PDT by 300magnum
131 EXPOSED IN GREENVILLE
The number of workers exposed to tuberculosis at a Greenville, S.C., chicken plant has grown to 131, but state health officials cautioned Tuesday only one is suspected of having an active form of the infectious disease.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control began testing employees at the House of Raeford Farms plant late last month after the agency was told about the infected worker. So far, 286 employees who have been in contact with the worker have been tested.
The percentage of positive cases is believed to be high because many of the plant's employees come from other countries where the disease may be more prevalent, said agency spokesman Thom Berry.
While not considered an immediate threat to Greenville residents, the number of infected workers reflects a concern about a growing health threat: immigrants increasingly carrying TB to the U.S.
"It's become more of an imported disease," said Dr. Jason Stout, an infectious disease specialist at Duke University who serves as one of North Carolina's tuberculosis consultants.
House of Raeford employs about 650 workers at its Greenville plant who process chicken for stores and fast-food restaurants. Many of the workers live in small neighborhoods surrounding the plant.
Foreign-born residents accounted for 55 percent of TB cases nationwide in 2005 -- the last year for which statistics were available. The greatest number of foreign born cases, 25 percent, or 1,942 cases, came from Mexico, followed by the Philippines, Vietnam, and India. In 1993, foreign-born residents made up 29 percent of reported TB cases.
Every year, thousands of illegal immigrants come to the Carolinas to work in poultry, construction and other industries. But undocumented workers are not the only ones entering the United States without being tested for TB. While refugees receive the tests, many immigrants traveling on tourist, business and student visas do not, according to experts.
"That is a major problem," said Carol Pozsik, CEO of the National TB Controllers Association.
House of Raeford Farm officials did not respond to calls to discuss the cases. It's unclear how many of the infected workers are still employed at the plant. Health officials said there's no risk to other employees as long as the cases are inactive.
They also say the strain found in the poultry worker is "very treatable" -- unlike the drug-resistant form contracted by Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta lawyer who made news last month by traveling internationally and sneaking back into the country with the disease.
Disease characteristics
Tuberculosis primarily affects the lungs, but can also spread to the kidneys or spinal column. The disease, which can be fatal, is transferred from person-to-person and cannot be transmitted to food.While cases of the disease have been declining nationally for years, the rate of decline has been slowing in recent years, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The House of Raeford worker suspected of having an active case has not been identified.
Berry said the 131 workers whose skin tests were positive did not necessarily have active cases of tuberculosis. Sixty of those workers were given chest examinations that showed no signs of active tuberculosis. Two others had inconclusive results and are receiving further tests. They hope to test the remaining workers soon.
More than 60 percent of line workers in the chicken industry are Hispanic. And experts say most of the workers probably entered the U.S. already infected.
They point out chicken plants are a natural environment for aerosolized TB germs. Pozsik said the high use of water and steam in a plant allows TB to remain aerosolized, exposing more workers to infection.
However, fewer than 5 percent of those who test positive on skin tests for TB are active carriers of the disease, Duke's Stout said. Even those who have active TB generally can't transmit the disease to others unless they share a confined space for a prolonged period of time.
"The average population should not be concerned unless they work with these folks, live with them, or interact with them," Pozsik said. "They should not be worried. It's really about sharing the same air over time. That is the secret."
Prevention urged
Pozsik, the former head of S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control TB control program, says health departments encourage people to get treatment to prevent the spread of a dangerous disease. Illegal immigrants often are reluctant to seek medical attention, however, fearing exposing themselves could lead to their deportation.
"One of our problems is when they get frightened and they leave," Pozsik said. "And if they do get sick and break down we haven't had the chance to treat them with the disease."
The health department will not ask patients their residency status or report illegal immigrants who seek treatment to immigration authorities, spokesman Berry said.
She said infected immigrants are more likely to become active in the first two years of immigrating to the U.S. when their stress levels are high due to residency status fears, questions about health care, and the uncertainty of living in a new community.
"This puts stress on their immune system," she said. "Any kind of worry and they go from infected to disease much more easily."
Tuberculosis Statistics
Nationally, the TB rate among Hispanics in the United States -- 9.2 for every 100,000 people -- was about eight times higher than that for whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
African Americans, at a rate of 10.1 for every 100,000 people, are more likely to have tuberculosis than Hispanics, as are Asians, at a rate of 25.5.
From 2005 to 2006, the number of foreign-born TB cases in North Carolina increased about 22 percent -- from 110 to 134, according to the N.C. Division of Public Health.
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“25 percent, or 1,942 cases, came from Mexico”
More reason for Bush and the Swimmer to push for amnesty.
ping
But but but - that would have meant targeting gays and drug users !
Oh no, the horror ! We don’t want to offend them !
I too have had family work in meat packing
The diseases brought into this country by illegal aliens has been under the radar for way to long. Another reason for aggressive border protection.
South Carolina Ping
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Thanks for the ping S&A.
I heard about this a couple of days ago. My daughter who goes to Clemson got an email from the university confirming a case of TB at the school, so I’m afraid there might be more cases in the area.
Let the damned illegals pay for their own tests. Dock their pay LOL.
No comprende Ingles (cough).
Maybe the fear of this sort of thing will give another incentive to employers not to hire illegals. The front line supervisors won’t want to be exposed to infectious diseases, and the company higher ups won’t want the bad publicity and loss of business which are bound to follow stories like this.
We can hope, at least in the food industry.
Great. We pretty much wiped out TB in the US, so let’s get third world carriers up here to cough, sneeze and sniffle on our food.
Be better off eating road kill.
Just say NO to Illegal Alien Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!
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sighhhh..... is it going to take a national epidimic to wake people up?
We're awake. Our government is the problem.
Is that ever the truth.. and even more in your face after hearing the spin from Trent Lott today on Hannity’s radio show.
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