One hazard of the wholesale admission of the world’s excess to the United States that is not publicized frequently enough is the importation of dangerous diseases once largely controlled here. One of the most virulent of such diseases is tuberculosis (TB), which predominantly affects the lungs but can also affect the brain, kidneys, and spine. Worldwide, TB continues to be a scourge, in 2021 infecting nearly 11 million people and causing 1.6 million deaths around the world.
By law, refugees, legal immigrants, and illegal migrants are supposed to be screened for TB before entry and, if positive, refused entry until treated. Once admitted, their names are supposed to be shared with state and local health authorities to ensure follow-up. Unsurprisingly, considering government negligence and incompetence, there is evidence that the positive cases are being significantly underreported.
As a result of the state’s long border with Mexico, TB is common in Texas, particularly in its cities, such as Houston. A Houston physician recently told Fox News that she sees TB-infected patients frequently, most of whom come from Africa and India.
In 2022, a study by the University of Texas found that over the previous eight-year period an average of 30 percent of immigrants screened positive for tuberculosis.
To make matters even worse, many of the infected crossing over from Mexico are infected with drug-resistant strains of the disease. A Waco doctor who spoke to Fox attributed this to the wide availability of OTC medicines in Mexico and Latin America. He said that the problem had grown worse in the past couple of years of Biden’s open-borders policy.
Plagues continue to be a major fact of life — and death — in the so-called developing world. With the migrant-welcoming policies being pursued in the U.S. and other Western nations, diseases such as TB that had been previously vanquished or kept largely under control are now being set loose on a vulnerable populace. It’s not hard to imagine a disastrous outcome.
For more, see Fox News.