TB on rise in county Spike likely due to influx of immigrants (medical, illegal aliens)

[JDubsMom]

LAWRENCEVILLE - The number of tuberculosis cases in Gwinnett County is on the rise, health officials say.

Gwinnett now has the second highest rate of TB cases in Georgia, following Fulton County, said Vernon Goins, spokesman for the county health department. The county was previously ranked No. 3, behind Fulton and DeKalb counties.

Last year, there were 55 active cases of TB reported in Gwinnett, Goins said. This year, the same number of active cases has been reported, and with five months to go until the year ends, the number for 2008 will likely increase.

Goins said the increase is probably because of Gwinnett's large immigrant population. While people who enter the country legally are tested for contagious diseases such as TB, Goins said there is no way to check those who come here illegally - until they present with symptoms.

"We can't do anything about the numbers coming into the county, but we can combat it to help the people of Gwinnett by having state-of-the-art equipment and competent personnel," Goins said.

Treating TB is a time- and labor-intensive process, but Goins said the East Metro Health District's Preventive Health Clinic in Lawrenceville can help.

Denied:1up! Software (http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=17763&SectionID=6&SubS ectionID=84&S=1 - broken link)

[GuyPinestra]

If it's MDR-TB it's going to cost a lot of money to treat, as well. About $250,000 per case. Here's a look at where it is, and where it seems to be going...

[JDubsMom]

Originally Posted by GuyPinestra

If it's MDR-TB it's going to cost a lot of money to treat, as well. About $250,000 per case. Here's a look at where it is, and where it seems to be going...

Wowza . . . Our incompetent government officials on all levels should be indicted. Formely irradicated diseases are making a come back all over the US. Our infrastructure is a mess, our highways are being sold out from under us and we have two worthless traitors vying for president.

Additionally, financially solvent states are far outnumbered by those who have gone broke as a result of mismanagement and bankrolling the presence of illegal aliens. This is an outrage.

[Anonymous Political Junky]

Of course we are just supposed to sit around and allow our government to continue allowing our citizens to be killed one way or another by illegals.

[breeze823]

Originally Posted by Anonymous Political Junky

Of course we are just supposed to sit around and allow our government to continue allowing our citizens to be killed one way or another by illegals.

Yep, nice isn't it?
Another reason to keep your children immunizations up to date.

[JDubsMom]

Originally Posted by breeze823

Yep, nice isn't it?
Another reason to keep your children immunizations up to date.

My son is a student at SLU and they had a foreign student who came in with TB thus, everyone had to update their TB shots.

I gave up fast food joints and restaurants a while back. These days you never know whose preparing your food and what they do to it in retaliation simply because they detest Americans. I am also careful to shop at the same grocery store all the time that way if I become ill, I know exactly where the blame goes.

[rayneinspain]

DTBE | Fact Sheets | Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB)

How does drug resistance happen?

Resistance to anti-TB drugs can occur when these drugs are misused or mismanaged. Examples include when patients do not complete their full course of treatment; when health-care providers prescribe the wrong treatment, the wrong dose, or length of time for taking the drugs; when the supply of drugs is not always available; or when the drugs are of poor quality.

Expect the area to also see increase of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcal aureus) infections and drug-resistant lice.

When they refuse to treat themselves according to physicians' instructions, we all pay for it. But please be aware that it is also occurring due to legal citizens who don't complete treatment properly, too.

[brokensky]

Originally Posted by JDubsMom

My son is a student at SLU and they had a foreign student who came in with TB thus, everyone had to update their TB shots.

I gave up fast food joints and restaurants a while back. These days you never know whose preparing your food and what they do to it in retaliation simply because they detest Americans. I am also careful to shop at the same grocery store all the time that way if I become ill, I know exactly where the blame goes.

I refuse to eat fast food for the same reasons. I am in the healthcare sector and TB is becoming a real concern - and I think we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. I think the situation is a lot worse than anyone is acknowledging - and the strain of TB that is being "imported" is not one that can be treated by traditional drug therapy. It is very frightening.

[JDubsMom]

Originally Posted by anifani821

I refuse to eat fast food for the same reasons. I am in the healthcare sector and TB is becoming a real concern - and I think we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. I think the situation is a lot worse than anyone is acknowledging - and the strain of TB that is being "imported" is not one that can be treated by traditional drug therapy. It is very frightening.

No doubt. I don't hesitate to think that the strain that is incoming may not be researched and totally drug resistant.

[Anonymous Political Junky]

Here is a site that will scare the bejeebers out of you.

Impacts of Illegal Immigration: Diseases

And another.

High TB Rates Among Immigrants To U.S. Highlight Need For Improved Screening, Study Says