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TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

Until I see some real figures reported, I'm not going around yelling the sky is falling. Worth noting that Dr Vliet is a Conservative with a history of writing anti-administration articles - http://www.theconservativepundit.net/?page_id=1217

She has been vocal in voicing the dangers posed by sick immigrants. One problem I have is that she jumped on the "Swine flu" bandwagon. She has suggested that Dengue and Ebola may come across our borders. All true, but they can also come via legitimate travel.

I've seen enough ugliness without fanning the flames with speculation.

This report has lots of background on TB in the US - Reported Tuberculosis in the United States http://www.cdc.gov/tb/statistics/reports/2012/pdf/report2012.pdf
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

It seems that official answers are slow in coming.

Lackland AFB News Site has a link to Fox report on TB spreading at the camps
http://www.military.com/base-guide/lackland-air-force-base

Immigrant Center “one giant emergency room”
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/64433

San Diego Border Patrol agent have been warned not to talk to Media:
http://www.nationalreview.com/artic...cease-and-desist-speaking-media-ryan-lovelace

3000 Border Patrol agents have been warned not to talk to media:
http://www.texasinsider.org/texas-border-patrol-warned-do-not-talk-to-media/


Anonymous Border Patrol agent near San Diego gave this information in his words on the first 3 flights intended for Murietta:
http://www.libertynews.com/2014/07/...headed-for-murrieta-at-least-25-have-scabies/
420 Approximate number of Central American (people crossing the border), mostly women and children, on the first 3 flights into San Diego. There were processed (and released) at Chula Vista BP station and other stations in San Diego... Here’s what they brought with them:
-100+ Number that have been diagnosed with scabies.
-Multiple children had fevers
-Several children coughing up blood with fevers (suspected TB)
-Unconfirmed possible cases of H1N1
-5 BP agents now diagnosed with scabies from processing the (people crossing the border); other agents have also been exposed and possibly infected.
“They are just reinfesting them over and over. They treat them and immediately put them in the decontaminated cells which is terrible.
Also bottles aren’t being sanitized, blankets are being shared, it’s bad. The people from the first 2 planes are long gone. They don’t care at all. They are just releasing them. No relief in sight. Rumor is they will be increasing the number of flights into San Diego” -) See more at: http://www.libertynews.com/2014/07/...-scabies/#sthash.l5OmBNjp.dpuf[/url[/INDENT]]​
 
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Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

Each of these is a Conservative media source. Again, I feel that a political machine with massive financial resources is spreading this material for the purpose of gaining political points in the immigration debate. I've brought this up in the "Scare Tactics" thread http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=224862

I would not like to see FluTrackers be used as a vehicle for this politically motivated reporting without challenge.

I agree that CDC needs to be open with regard to health threats. It has a duty of care to the citizens of this country. We need to be reassured that people arriving in this country are not a public health threat before they are accepted in. In other words, there must be rapid assessment & treatment of any issues. There are legitimate health concerns that need to be addressed, but not to the point of whipping up a political frenzy.

I would not be surprised if there were a greater incidence of diseases among some of the arrivals then is present in the general population. Many arrivals are in unstable situations having gone through God knows what to reach the US. For some, that fact alone will be enough to reinforce preexisting prejudices.

I think that compassion needs to be our guide here.
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

Except for the 1st link the rest of the media listed appear to be politically motivated and biased "news" sites.

I know people crossing the border without permission is a very politically charged issue. FT is not a political site.
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

Ronan Kelly said:
Each of these is a Conservative media source. Again, I feel that a political machine with massive financial resources is spreading this material for the purpose of gaining political points in the immigration debate. I've brought this up in the "Scare Tactics" thread http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=224862

I would not like to see FluTrackers be used as a vehicle for this politically motivated reporting without challenge.

I agree that CDC needs to be open with regard to health threats. It has a duty of care to the citizens of this country. We need to be reassured that people arriving in this country are not a public health threat before they are accepted in. In other words, there must be rapid assessment & treatment of any issues. There are legitimate health concerns that need to be addressed, but not to the point of whipping up a political frenzy.

I would not be surprised if there were a greater incidence of diseases among some of the arrivals then is present in the general population. Many arrivals are in unstable situations having gone through God knows what to reach the US. For some, that fact alone will be enough to reinforce preexisting prejudices.

I think that compassion needs to be our guide here.
Click to expand...


I agree.
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

I'm confused on where we stand with reporting on the border issue.

If we discredit articles from conservative sources because they have a political agenda, we also should discredit any from liberal sources because they, too, have a political agenda. (Do we even have any articles from liberal sources on the border situation?)

In the meantime, in response to Sharon's question to White House officials
We would like to know what diseases are present. How many cases of each, and, how does the present situation compare to previous years.
Click to expand...
we have Kenneth Wolfe's non-answer. He only states how the issue is being handled but we are still clueless as to its seriousness.

If we discredit the conservative reports and we have no liberal reports and the govt is giving us non-answers to our requests for information, it sure makes our job of tracking the disease a lot more difficult.
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

My thoughts exactly. We have a "cone of silence" from government entities and apparently some news outlets. Any news media nowadays have a liberal or conservative slant; I try to glean some truth from both. Perhaps CDC is too busy with their own problems:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/14/u...ts-a-lax-culture-at-labs.html?ref=health&_r=0

If the border claims are true, we will know it anyway in a few months when more people get sick. My own hope is that the stories are only made-up fictions to further some agenda, but common sense says otherwise.
 
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Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

mixin said:
If we discredit articles from conservative sources because they have a political agenda, we also should discredit any from liberal sources because they, too, have a political agenda.
...
If we discredit the conservative reports and we have no liberal reports and the govt is giving us non-answers to our requests for information, it sure makes our job of tracking the disease a lot more difficult.
Click to expand...

I think we should be aware that immigration is also a political issue and that any reporting may contain bias and have the conscious or unconscious motive of advancing a certain political viewpoint couched in health concern language. I think that we have a duty to point out potential bias in the reporting regardless of our personal feelings. When a particular commentator tries to whip up hysteria about H1N1 coming in to the country only through undocumented migrants, any other commentary by that author must be scrutinized closely as they have demonstrated that they are not expert in what they are writing about.

Yes, the CDC & HHS should put mechanisms in place to ensure that these unfortunate people are assessed and treated prior to exposure to the general public. It has been reported that CDC has activated an Emergency Operation Center to help deal with the crisis. But you are right, I think we need official assurance that measures are being taken to keep the general population safe. It would not break any HIPAA laws to detail what measures are in place to protect the public. But at the same time, there are concerns that releasing disease figures will reinforce certain prejudices. It's a tough call. I would not expect a daily tally of medical examinations & diseases found, but I would expect a summary report within a week or two. Perhaps in an upcoming MMWR.
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

In the past we have removed "news" from obvious political sites but since there may be a shred of truth in the above reports, I did not remove them.

But as Ronan notes, it is not news that destitute, oppressed people are desperately crossing our borders and some are sick with diseases common to poverty. It is a travesty that various political organizations exploit this humanitarian and public health situation to promote their agenda.

What we know is that many people cross borders all over the world who are escaping war, crime, poverty, and hunger.

We need to objectively compile the facts irrespective of the hype surrounding the political issues. For instance, there is apparently no substantiation of Dr. Vliet's comments regarding the Texas department of health issuing alerts about the disease status of people crossing the border.

We do not need more "talking heads". We need more facts.

We are experts at digital disease detection. We are compiling media reports and other information from all areas of the United States. In addition, we are sending emails to verify information as presented. A picture is beginning to emerge. We do not need the US federal government to help us. And even if they provided detailed information, we would still monitor our sources, like we did in the Gulf Oil Spill event, to construct a more full picture.

I do not believe anything at face value. Not the government's data, and not data from politically motivated spinners.
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

mixin said:
I'm confused on where we stand with reporting on the border issue.

If we discredit articles from conservative sources because they have a political agenda, we also should discredit any from liberal sources because they, too, have a political agenda. (Do we even have any articles from liberal sources on the border situation?)

[snip]
Click to expand...

Two good questions, mixin! I think it is fine to point out potential conflicts of interest - it doesn't mean that someone is not telling the truth, however, just because there is a potential gain to do so. Would we discredit or censor the all public health opinions of a vaccine expert just because they have lucrative patents in that business? That would not be fair or helpful, but disclosing potential conflicts of interest respectfully is informative and ethical.

One good thing about all the polarization about the border issue is that it is polarized politically and covered unevenly by media. The most egregious harms done recently have happened when the broad spectrum of popular media and politicians acted in concert:

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/02/19/msnbcs-hoax-documentary-overlooking-the-role-of-media-in-selling-iraq-war/
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

Unaccompanied Children Frequently Asked Questions

ACF's Office of Refugee Resettlement in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services operates about 100 short-term shelters throughout the United States for children who enter the country without their parent. These shelters are consistently quiet and good neighbors in the communities where they are located. Recently, because of a large increase in the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border, we have had to quickly open temporary shelters to meet the needs of this vulnerable population.

Below are some of the questions that community members and media have frequently asked.

Q: How many temporary facilities are currently open?

Three: Joint Base San Antonio Lackland (Texas), Naval Base Ventura County-Port Hueneme (Calif.) and Fort Sill (Okla.).

Q: How long will the temporary shelters stay open?

The Department of Defense has authorized the temporary facilities to stay open for 120 days.

Q: How long do the kids stay in the temporary shelter?

The average stay is less than 35 days.

Q: How do these temporary shelters affect our community?

The impact on the local community is minimal. The Department of Health and Human Services pays for and provides all services for the children through its network of grantees. This includes providing food, clothing, education and medical screening to the children. All activities, including outdoor recreation time, take place on the grounds of the temporary facilities. Children do not attend local schools. Communities can expect increased use of local retail services (hotels, restaurants and retail) by those coming to work at and visit the shelter.

Q: Do these children pose a health risk?

When children come into the Department of Health and Human Services program, they are given a well-child exam and given all needed childhood vaccinations to protect against communicable diseases. They are also screened for tuberculosis, and receive a mental health exam. If children are determined to have any communicable disease or have been exposed to a communicable disease, they are placed in a program or facility that has the capacity to quarantine. If they have mental health problems, they are similarly placed in a specialized facility to meet their needs and not in a temporary shelter.

Q: Are communities safe with these kids in it? There are rumors that some kids are gang members.

Many of these children are fleeing violent situations in their home country and choose to leave rather than join a gang. They endure a long and dangerous journey to reach the border. When they are placed in a temporary facility, they are, as a rule, relieved to be in a safe and caring environment where they can wait for a family member to arrive to take custody.

When at the temporary shelters, the children do not leave the grounds until they have been placed with a sponsor. These sponsors are most often family members and do not reside in the area of the temporary shelter.

Children served by the Office of Refugee Resettlement program do not integrate into the local community. They are not permitted to roam the local town or visit area attractions unless supervised by approved staff. Each staff member is required to maintain visibility on children at all times and know the exact location of each child.

The Department of Health and Human Services is coordinating security efforts with the Department of Homeland Security?s Federal Protective Service, the organization responsible for providing law enforcement and security services for properties owned or leased by the General Services Administration. Federal law enforcement officers will be on site, along with a contracted security force. The Federal Protective Service is currently conducting a security assessment of the facility, identifying upgrades in security measures necessary to provide the appropriate level of protection.

Q: How can the community help?

In response to this humanitarian effort, members of the public have expressed interest in donating to help unaccompanied children who recently have entered the United States from Central America. The Federal agencies supporting these facilities are unable to accept donations or volunteers to assist the unaccompanied children program. Several refugee resettlement non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the U.S. are accepting monetary donations and, in some cases, experienced volunteers to assist incoming refugee families, although not specifically unaccompanied children, in support of the effort of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program at the State Department. Information, by state, for refugee resettlement NGOs can be found at the State Department?s Refugee Processing Center (RPC) webpage or the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) webpage.

Q: Can media visit the temporary shelters?

We have conducted media and dignitary tours at both Lackland and Ventura. Outside of the official tours conducted by HHS, we do not allow media access to the shelters in order to ensure the safety and privacy of the children.

Q: How many children are at the temporary shelters?

This number fluctuates daily. The capacity for all three shelters is nearly 3,000 beds: Lackland has 1,100, Ventura has 600, and Fort Sill has 1,200. In addition to the temporary shelters, HHS has approximately 100 regular/permanent UAC shelters, mostly near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Q: How much does it cost to take care of the unaccompanied children?

The FY14 appropriation for this program is $868 million.

Q: Is the facility in Nogales an HHS shelter for UAC?

A: No. The facility in Nogales, Arizona, is a DHS-led, inter-agency run center established to expedite the processing of unaccompanied children. This center temporarily houses children, facilitating medical care and additional support services until they are transferred to an HHS designated shelter.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/unaccompanied-children-frequently-asked-questions
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

Source: http://keranews.org/post/state-document-warns-risk-disease-outbreak-border-detention-centers

State Document Warns Of Risk For Disease Outbreak In Border Detention
By Shelley Kofler

State health officials have alerted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about a potential for the outbreak of disease in border facilities where thousands of children are being detained.

Listen
Story on KERA radio

Four weeks ago, June 15-16, the Texas Department of State Health Services sent two of its staff to federal detention facilities in Brownsville and McAllen. They wanted to observe conditions where thousands of migrant children from Central America are awaiting immigration hearings.

A one-page summary of findings provided to KERA details severe overcrowding: five-and-a-half square feet of living space per child, when national standards call for 20 square feet.

Children with contagious infections like scabies and lice were not adequately separated from the general population.

Because of crowding, some children were held for days in an area without air conditioning where they slept on the concrete, were exposed to insects and temperatures reached 100 degrees...
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

Seems there is an issue with the conditions at these detention centers. I think the International Red Cross should visit to document conditions and assist as necessary.
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

The Q&A posted by Ronan rather sidesteps the conditions in the facilities. It was sad to note that none of the questions seemed to relate to the well-being of the children, even the highlighted block's Q is "Do these children pose a health risk?" rather than "What is their medical condition?".

Without a trusted source being given access to these facilities and documenting conditions the issue will continue to be a political punching ball. The government needs to provide data on the current conditions and let in the IRC to give credence to their stats. If they are covering up poor conditions they will just have to take the hit, if they are not then they can punch back at the bogus rumors.

They have let the rumors take on a life of their own and now need to resolve the truth of the issue first and if their is an unacceptable situation detail a plan to resolve it.

I am with Sharon we need the IRC or WHO to clarify the reality but how do you get a government who's default setting is secrecy to allow in the light?
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

This report is over a month old, but interesting. In the interests of full disclosure - the Jesuits are advocates for comprehensive immigration reform. - Ro

Jesuit concern for children in detention
June 12, 2014

Jesuit concern for children in detention
(Nogales, Ariz.) June 12, 2014 — Jesuit Fr. Sean Carroll, Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative, was able to visit unaccompanied children being held in detention in Nogales yesterday. Tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors are making a perilous journey, and the United Nations notes that the number of children traveling alone has doubled each year since 2011.

Father Carroll writes today —

Dear Friends of the Kino Border Initiative:

As many of you are aware, a high number of migrant children, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border recently into South Texas. They flee violence and extreme poverty in their countries of origin, and many seek to be reunified with their parents in the United States.

Last Thursday, June 5, I found out that some of these children were being transported from South Texas to Arizona by plane, and then taken by bus to the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Nogales, Arizona. This decision was made due to the high number of children being detained and a lack of space to receive them. On the same day, I spoke twice by phone with a Border Patrol representative and asked for permission to visit, to assess the needs of the children. At that time, I was not allowed to have access to the children.

I have had a number of conversations with Rev. David Myers, Senior Adviser to FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) to request a plan to outline the needs of the children and a process to solicit and receive donations. While I have been promised that the plan is forthcoming, I still have not received it as of today.

On Tuesday, June 10, I attended a meeting with representatives of the Santa Cruz County Emergency Management team, to discuss the situation and to strategize ways to help.

Yesterday, Wednesday, June 11, I was granted permission to visit the U.S. Border Patrol Station, along with local and federal government representatives. We were given a briefing and were able to tour the place where the children are staying, though we were not able to speak with the children.

However, we were able to see some of the young people going to lunch. Most are teenagers but there are a smaller number of younger children. Based on the way they looked and on the facilities that had been set up, their physical needs seem to be met. Their psychological and spiritual well-being is less clear to me, due to the inability to speak and interact with the young people.

It looks like migrant children will continue to arrive in Nogales in the foreseeable future. The KBI remains very committed to collaborating with other churches and organizations to address the needs of these children. We will keep urging the federal government to work with us to provide direction and focus, so we offer assistance in the most effective way possible.

I continue to be grateful for your prayers and generous support of the KBI.

God Bless,

Rev. Sean Carroll, S.J.
Kino Border Initiative
Executive Director
http://www.jrsusa.org/news_detail?TN=NEWS-20140612105447
 
Re: TV Interview with Physician re TB crossing the Border

If this is true, I would imagine the housing issue has eased up substantially. I find it absolutely amazing how they found the tens of thousands of families of these migrant minors so quickly. :tiphat:

Dated 7/11

Most Central American Child Migrants Now with Family Members in U.S

TUCSON, Arizona ? Most of the 52,000 Central American minors who entered the United States illegally since October 2013 are now staying with family members in this country, ...

Ninety-six percent of the migrants processed through the Unaccompanied Alien Children Program have been given over to family members, HHS spokesman Kenneth J. Wolfe said.
...
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=23558&ArticleId=2343573
 
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