Our open door to diseases

The insanity of federal public health officials boggles the mind.

But it shows how at risk we are because of their laxity and, in my opinion, their stupid and careless guidelines.

I'm talking about contagious diseases – why outbreaks occur and what's done about them.

If the headlines last week about unvaccinated children in this country and about an outbreak of mumps among college students at U.C. Berkeley frightened you, that was the intent. But you need to be aware of how the feds put us all at risk.

They've been doing it for years, and only just now are they making some changes that might mitigate the dangers.

Maybe.

The feds are agitated that too many children aren't properly vaccinated against so-called "childhood diseases."

Parents get the blame. Doctors push the routine schedule of shots – at least 24 shots for 14 separate diseases by age 6 – some administered within 24 hours of birth!

Many parents are concerned about the number of shots. Others are concerned that the cumulative effect of the inoculations cause other health problems, and some are simply opposed to vaccines.

The pressure to force the issue is tough. Some physicians simply refuse to take patients whose parents refuse vaccinations, and the bureaucracy gets in on the act by having schools are require all children be inoculated before enrollment.

But despite all that, there are periodic disease outbreaks. One aspect of the problem is totally ignored: aliens – legal and illegal – in this country

Think about that, because the feds allow it to occur

With all the immigration arguments, that's one scenario that's virtually ignored.

Millions of people from Third World countries cross our border illegally, and we know nothing about them.

Who are they? Where do they come from? Were they healthy when they crossed the border? Are they healthy now?

How would we know?

The truth is, we don't know and have no way of knowing because our government makes it impossible to find out.

Illegals cross the border and disappear into the country. When they surface, we're not allowed to inquire about their immigration status, which would give us a hint that they probably have never had any vaccinations. They are the perfect vehicles for the spread of disease, from measles to tuberculosis. Reports of disease outbreaks don't give racial breakdowns.

But even worse is the issue of migrants brought to this country by the federal government for resettlement across the nation.

You'd think that since these people are under the auspices of the government, their health record would be known. Forget that.

Consider one case, in the Sept. 23 weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report from the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, about an outbreak of measles.

It started with a 15-year-old unvaccinated male refugee from Burma who'd been living in an area of Malaysia with ongoing measles outbreaks.

Note the sequence of dates.

The report said that on Aug. 26, 2011, California officials notified the CDC that the boy developed a fever on Aug. 21 and a rash on Aug. 22.

He, his mother and two siblings left Malaysia on Aug. 24, arriving the same day in Los Angeles, staying overnight. He was hospitalized on Aug. 25, with measles confirmed on Aug. 30.

His 16-year-old sibling was confirmed with recent measles, but we're told he was not infectious during the flight.

Then other reports came in.

On Sept. 1, Maryland confirmed measles in two, unvaccinated refugee children on the same flight.

On Sept. 9, North Carolina confirmed another measles case from the same flight.

Wisconsin reported a measles case in an unvaccinated refugee child on a flight from Burma through L.A. on Aug. 24, but on a different flight than the first boy.

In all, 31 refugees on the same flight as the first patient, went from L.A. to seven states: Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

Other cases turned up: one a U.S. Customs officer who processed the original boy in L.A. and two non-refugee, unvaccinated children who were seated nine rows away from the original boy on the flight.

It's not very comforting to read this from the CDC report:

"Currently, approximately 92,000 such refugees are living in urban communities in Malaysia. Resettlement programs in the United States and other countries are ongoing. The health and vaccination status of urban refugees are largely unknown."

Unknown? Why? We're in the midst of bringing people into this country with no information on their health? Who's in charge of this stupidity? No immigrant should be allowed in this country without a complete health check. Without that, our own population is put at risk.

When immigrants were processed through Ellis Island, they all had medical checkups, and those with contagious or other serious illnesses were sent home.

What did they know then that we've forgotten?

But wow – when the feds saw the problem, they acted. The report tells us, "Rapid control efforts by state and local public health agencies … were key … in limiting the spread of measles."

"Rapid?" How?

They temporarily suspended refugee travel from Malaysia, and the CDC recommended that refugees with no evidence of measles immunity be vaccinated and their travel postponed for 21 days. When they get to the U.S., they should have a post arrival health exam as soon as feasible, that suspected measles cases be isolated for confirmation and local health department be notified.

I am so relieved.

The report ended, of course, by reiterating that all U.S. residents should have their shots.

Of course.

It did not say the same procedures would be in effect for the thousands of refugees from other countries being relocated here.

Why not?

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