Posted on 05/22/2005 2:19:16 PM PDT by wagglebee
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."
Funny. I got the idea from the author that unchecked immigration by illegals has consequences that were under control at one time. Now, however, due to the lack of leadership and the pervasive pandering by politicians we are now seeing those consequences come to fruition. That's just me though. It seems as though you think illegal immigrants don't really cause these problems and that the author just doesn't like immigrants.
On a recent FR discussion I read that the anchor baby status thing arose from law to keep southern states from disenfranchising recently freed slaves as voters
There can be problems with uncontrolled immigration in terms of security, fairness, and public health. Instead of a thought ful, fair analysis of some of these issues, this guy comes out with this emotional (from the very subject matter) and misleading article that exaggerates a threat (leprosy) that hardly exists. Because his journalism is so bad, I also suspect his motives...
What, exactly, is wrong with the journalistic presentation of this information? I don't see the bias you claim to exist. Please cite some examples for me.
"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."
I don't believe we're on the cusp of a leprosy epidemic in the U.S. It's total B.S. and it's easy to figure that out with about 5 minutes worth of searching on the internet. But that doesn't frighten the masses.
(7)U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark 169 US649(1898)
(8) ibid at 682.
Anchor babies are a free ride to welfare heaven for their parents and siblings.
We probably should add something like "born to parent or parents legally residing in the United States or territories".
You present a quote from a source and then blame the author of the article? I don't get it. Where is the shoddy journalism? It would seem to me that someone who deals with it every day (he spoke about New York) would know.
Because it's true! Especially for TB.
I think he selectively chose sources and mixed quotes to imply that we are on the verge of a leprosy epidemic in the U.S. I also think the article implies that the general population is at risk. I call B.S. The disease is hardly contagious and easily treatable. I simply don't see the threat. At best, it's a misleading article. At worst, it's an intentionally misleading article.
Did you miss this quote?"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."
It would seem you are the one with the biased interpretations.
By the way I was doing a google search and found many sources that back up the claim that illegals are bringing a myriad of diseases back, as well as new ones to the U.S.
What a racist thing to say. < /sarcasm >
In the Dred Scott case The ''Negro,'' or ''African race,'' according to the Chief Justice (Taney), was ineligible to attain United States citizenship, either from a State or by virtue of birth in the United States, even as a free man descended from a Negro residing as a free man in one of the States at the date of ratification of the Constitution
Under Dred Scott, black people could never have the right of citizenship. Civil Rights Act of 1866 and 14th amendment gave the rights of citizenship to anyone born on US soil.
raybbr posted:
"'I think he selectively chose sources and mixed quotes to imply that we are on the verge of a leprosy epidemic in the U.S.'
Did you miss this quote?"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."
It would seem you are the one with the biased interpretations.
By the way I was doing a google search and found many sources that back up the claim that illegals are bringing a myriad of diseases back, as well as new ones to the U.S."
Yeah, I did catch that token quote from a single voice of reason, inserted in the last 10% of an article that was 90% histrionics. And we can talk about other diseases all you want to. TB for example is a much more immediate threat and one that can be more credibly tied, in part at least, to importation from abroad. I'm sure I would find many of your sources persuasive. But this particular article dealt primarily with leprosy, and I don't buy the threat. And I suspect it was chosen specifically for it's sensational appeal.
One of my favorite jokes ever (if you don't like dirty jokes, don't read on) is a leper joke.
Guy sits down in a restaurant. Looks up and realizes he's seated looking at a leper just across from him.
The leper looks up at the same time and says, "Hey, I'll move if it's a problem."
The guy says, nah, and commences to eating. Looks up. And ralphs.
The leper says, "Hey, I'll move, I'm sorry."
The guy says, "Nah, it's not you, siddown, it's okay."
A few minutes later, the waiter's brought new food, the guy's eating, and looks up, and...chunks fly.
The leper says, "Hey, I TOLD you, I'd move. I'm gonna go."
The guy says, "Nah, siddown, look, it's not you, it's okay."
A few minutes later, the waiter's brought a completely new mean, the guy's eating, and looks up, and...technicolor yawn city.
The leper says, "Hey, this is starting to make ME sick. I'm leaving!"
The guy says, "Nah, stop, it's not you--"
(It's awful, last chance to skip the post)
--it's the guy behind you dipping his bread in your neck."
"Just spreading diseases that Americans are too lazy to spread!!"
One can tell at a glance you missed the Mexican government's perspective on this, which is that American racist anti-immigrants infected the status-challenged immigrants so as to get them to go back to Mexico.
One body part at a time, if necessary. [rimshot]
Just one other question-point: Is the title of this article really reasonable based on the actual circumstances of the threat?
I don't disagree that the article was written to get attention. But, I suppose, like the democrats and Social Security we should wait till the problem really is an epidemic before we address it?
That's the whole point of the article IMO. It was supposed to make you think that something should be done before it's too late. I know there is a problem with illegals and diseases but far too many think it's not that bad. Not now it isn't but if something like this brings attention to it we will be better off.
There are real massive problems with illegal invasion. What are you freaking blind?
I would argue the problem lies simply with the court's interpretation of the amendment, not with the amendment itself. Jacob Howard's quote clearly illustrates Congress' intent. We should test this ruling in court again before worrying about amending the Constitution.
ol' hoghead
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