A recently published article by the Public Library of Science (PLOS) warns that spread of the little known Chagas disease throughout "Latin America and the U.S. bears a resemblance to the early years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic."
The PLOS study states: "The 'globalization' of Chagas translates to up to 1 million cases in the US alone, with an especially high burden of disease in Texas and along the Gulf coast."
One of the imports to this country is Chagas disease. It is caused by a parasite known as trypanosome. It is a blood-borne disease and is spread by triatomine insects. The parasite burrows into human tissue (often in the face), where it then begins to multiply. In addition to being spread by insects, it can also be contracted through blood transfusions.
After several cases of Chagas were reportedly discovered to have been spread by transfusions in Canada, that nation began testing all blood donations for the disease. U.S. blood banks began screening for the parasitic infection in 2007.
While frightening, Chagas is merely one of a long list of diseases now being spread throughout this country through illegal immigration.
It is often said that the flood of illegal immigration into this country is reaching 'epidemic proportions,' and while that statement may be true, it is just as true that the illegal aliens pouring over the U.S./Mexican border are endangering this country with actual epidemics. Tuberculosis, hepatitis, dengue fever and even leprosy are often imported into the U.S. inside the bodies of those who choose to enter this nation illegally, without detection or screening.
In fact, a virtual hot-zone of disease can be found throughout the states which share a border with Mexico. Illegal aliens have set up so-called colonias on both sides of the border which consist mostly of cardboard shacks and huts made with cast-off building materials. They have no sanitation, and are surrounded by mounds of garbage. The estimated 185,000 people share their makeshift towns with armies of rats. Of course, diseases only common to Central and South America run rampant in these places.
However, due to a lack of both border security and immigration enforcement these diseases are now making their way to every corner of the country.
In May 2010, 50 students and teachers at Lilburn Middle School in the Atlanta suburb of Gwinnett County, tested positive for tuberculosis exposure, and four were confirmed to have an active case of TB.. While that news may be shocking to most, it is nothing new. In October 2009, about 200 students at the county’s Norcross High School underwent testing, after TB was discovered at the school.
Of course, Atlanta is a known 'sanctuary city' for illegal aliens.
Once thought to be nearly eradicated in this country, TB is now making a strong comeback, thanks to unchecked immigration.
A 2005 Mother Jones Magazine interview with Dr. Lee Reichman of The New Jersey TB Clinic stated: "In the 1990's, cases among foreign born Americans rose from 29 percent to 41.6 percent. Antibiotic resistant strains from Mexico have migrated to Texas. Since three years ago, 16,000 new cases of TB were discovered in the United States. Half were foreign born. Strains of TB once only found in Mexico have migrated to the border states of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. It will move north as illegal aliens work in restaurants as cooks, dishwashers, and food handlers. We sit on the edge of a potential catastrophe." (read the entire article)
In 2001, New York's Tuberculosis Control Program discovered that 81 percent of that city's new cases of TB were attributed to foreign nationals.
Cases of TB are now being found where there are high concentrations of illegal aliens.
In March of 2002, The Washington Post reported that Virginia's Prince William County experienced a 188 percent increase of TB infections over the previous year. Of course, the streets of Prince William County are over-run with illegal aliens seeking day-laborer jobs.
In May 2009, another outbreak of TB was feared, this time in Chicago, as an infected doctor possibly spread the virus throughout area hospitals. The unidentified physician worked at Evanston Hospital, Children’s Memorial and Northwestern Memorial’s Prentice Women’s Hospital.
Like Atlanta, Chicago also has a ‘sanctuary’ policy for illegal aliens, and consequently has a very large illegal population.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the following countries accounted for the largest number of TB cases among legal, U.S. resident aliens in 2004:
-Mexico (1,976)
-Philippines (829)
-Vietnam (619)
-India (557)
-China (352)
-Haiti (248)
-South Korea (219)
-Guatemala (190)
-Ethiopia (169)
-Peru (159)
Of course, the preceding numbers do not include the millions of illegal aliens currently living in this country.
On average, it costs between $250K and $1million to treat a patient with TB.
Despite the dangers presented by swine flu and the fact that the World Health Organization raised their threat level to the highest in that group‘s history, the U.S. government refused to close our border with Mexico, when a deadly flu epidemic arose in that country in 2009.
During an April 27, 2009 press conference, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said: "Well, as I said yesterday, we're already doing passive surveillance at the border. And with respect to closing the border, again, you would close the border if you thought you could contain disease, the spread of disease. But the disease already is in a number of states within the United States, so the containment issue doesn't really play out. This particular flu, you can actually have it for a couple of days before you show any symptoms, and so even if—people could be coming through now, even under passive surveillance, who actually have the flu. So that's a very difficult judgment to make."
Then on NBC’s Today Show Napolitano gave the real reason behind this administration’s unwillingness to close the border.
Napolitano told viewers: "You have to look at what the costs of that are. We literally have thousands of trucks and lots of commerce that cross that border. We have food products and other things that go across that border. So that would be a very, very heavy cost."
As usual, business interests were put ahead of the safety and health of the American public.
It seems that every nation except the United States, took the outbreak seriously. Take a look at the following headlines which appeared around the world at that time:
"Swine flu prompts EU warning on travel to U.S."
"British holiday companies suspend flights to Mexico"
"Air Canada and Westjet are suspending flights and vacation tours to Mexico"
"Argentina suspends flights from Mexico"
"Cuba halts flights to Mexico as flu virus spreads"
"Cruise lines cancel Mexico stops over flu fear"
Despite the many threats posed to our country by illegal immigration our political leaders will undoubtedly continue to ignore them. Our own president is willing to place all Americans at risk, in exchange for securing the Latino vote for the Democratic Party.
If left unchecked, illegal immigration will surely be the death of this nation...one way or another.
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