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In medical isolation in South Texas, 100 miles or so from Mexico's border, is a man who embodies one of U.S. health officials' greatest worries: He is the first person to cross and be held in detention while infected with one of the most severe types of drug-resistant tuberculosis known today.
His odyssey through 13 countries (Nepal, South Asia, Brazil, Mexico, Texas), shows the way in which dangerous new strains of the disease can migrate across the world unchecked.
Originally posted by jdub297
His is one of only 6 [reported cases in the US. How many people will he infect, or have already been infected, before we take a look at border saecurity in a different light?
edit on 2-3-2013 by jdub297 because: url
Originally posted by ausername
reply to post by jdub297
There are far worse things out there that "terrorists" can infect themselves with and then spread that infection among targeted populations.
Pray they can be stopped before they do it.
How ever, what you're basically saying is all those looking to go in or out of the US will have to give hair, skin, blood and urine tests while traveling in or out of the US. I'm not sure many will enjoy, the new addition to the already intrusive TSA. TB tests are currently done either by blood serum, or skin scraping tests. Let me know when you're ready to roll up your sleeve the next time you want to take a flight, and I'll maybe consider jumping on this bandwagon.
Drug-susceptible TB and MDR-TB are spread the same way. TB germs are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. These germs can float in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. Persons who breathe in the air containing these TB germs can become infected.
TB tests are currently done either by blood serum, or skin scraping tests.
Originally posted by adjensen
I didn't see it in the article cited, does anyone know what he was doing here? Seems like a pretty long and convoluted journey to sneak into the country in search of a minimum wage job, or to see a long lost relative.
Bio-terrorism doesn't need any technology apart from a sick person and a plane ticket.
Originally posted by MidnightTide
Well wouldn't it suck if this strain makes its way through the homeless population. They would effectively spread it around......but personally not worried about this quite yet, lets see a few more cases first.
The Homeland Security Department released from its jails more than 2,000 illegal immigrants facing deportation in recent weeks due to looming budget cuts and planned to release 3,000 more during March, The Associated Press has learned.
The newly disclosed figures, cited in internal budget documents reviewed by the AP, are significantly higher than the "few hundred" illegal immigrants the Obama administration acknowledged this week had been released under the budget-savings process.
Originally posted by Hijinx
Might want to add a little more tinfoil to your hat. I'm out.
Originally posted by Candycab
reply to post by jdub297
I would have to think if the US Gov was ever actually interested in protecting our borders they would have built something like the Berlin wall and use our National Guard etc to patrol it.