US Public at Stake With the Spreading of Contagious Disease by the Illegal Immigrants

Any alien entering the US needs to undergo a stringent Immigration Medical Exam. The medical screening is conducted by the Public Health Services. This is not something new in the US, but has been in force for a long time. The immigration medical exam is required for adjustment of status and for nonimmigrant status. A Civil Surgeon designated by USCIS conducts the Green card medical exam.

Purpose behind green card medical exam for the Immigrants

The purpose of the immigration medical exam is to verify whether the applicant has any inadmissible health condition. Those are, communicable diseases like active tuberculosis, malaria, etc. Venereal disease like active syphilis, gonorrhea, cholera, plague and the trachoma, an infection that affects the eyes. They also check the physical and mental disorders that are associated with harmful behavior, and the drug abuse or addiction. Based on the reports of the Civil Surgeon, the USCIS makes the admissibility of an immigrant in the US in a legal doorway.

The Role of CDC in Immigration Medical Exam

The USCIS under the guidance of CDC, conducts Immigration Medical Exam. CDC is one of the major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services that are recognized as the nation’s premiere health promotion, prevention, and prepares agencies. CDC works with the states and other associates, by providing a systematic health inspection to monitor and prevent disease outbreaks, strategies for preventing diseases, and maintain national health statistics. CDC also safeguards against International disease transmission. The CDC’s focus being improvisation on global health, implement measures to decrease leading causes of death and reforming health policies.

Illegal immigrants carrying contagious disease while crossing the US borders

The entries of the illegal immigrants, crossing the US borders in large numbers, are carrying with them highly contagious diseases, and having not pre-screened for medical tests and for vaccinations, they are posing medical threats to the public of the US. Diseases, like intense itchy rashes, caused by insect mites, Dengue fever, a viral illness spread by mosquitoes are detected and medical treatment have put in place. Measles and chicken pox are also emerging among the unvaccinated immigrants.

Nearly 150,000 illegal immigrants are detained by the Border Patrol and the Department of Health and Human Services. The holding centers and camps in the southern Texas and Arizona are cramped; it has turned out to be unhygienic with poor sanitation. If this continues, mosquitoes will breed resulting in deadly disease, as Dengue will turn out to be a public health disaster.

Doctors are treating hundreds of detainees for abdominal pain, skin abrasions and dehydration, they are helping as much as possible with over-the-counter medicine, but the disease continues to spread in other states, as some immigrants awaiting their court dates get on buses and go as far as New York, Ohio or Florida.

The ball is in the hands of Politicians to look into the immigration issue

America having stamped out the spread of deadly diseases decades ago, having yet another blow due to open border diseases, will not be a healthy option for America. It is indeed a high time to look into the immigration reform on both the sides of the aisle; both the house of politics should do everything they can to work together to bring this growing public health crisis under control.