Welfare reforms have “mandated the actual exclusion of illegal immigrants from receiving government services including emergency medical services” (Bergsten, 2006: 355). On the revenues’ side, the increasing illegal alien population was considered economically perilous as aliens who do not pay taxes enjoy similar medical benefits with taxpayers. Illegal aliens share in the consumption of federal budget which was intended to provide medical care in the underserved areas of the society. Facing this challenge, erected reforms worked to apply restrictions against undocumented aliens including their children.
The Minnesota Department of Health revealed that half of its refugees were children who carry a “large disease burden with a history of inadequate diagnostic and preventive health care”. Children with undiagnosed infectious diseases definitely exist around healthy and normal children increasing the risk of disease spread in a number of ways. Unlike border issues, disease knows no border restrictions and limitations, it does not choose its host as it tries to spread its wrath to its desired population.
Immigrant traffic is the recently identified common carrier in the European Union investigation on undocumented immigrants as results revealed that “children of illegal immigrants carried significant presence of diseases like, Hepatitis B and C; venereal diseases among others” (Lopez-Velez, Huerga and Turrientes, 2005). Active tuberculosis was likewise common along with parasitic intestinal infestations, infections and other tropical diseases. The tested population had “no access to public health care and would have escaped diagnosis treatment” for fear as a general reason (Lopez-Velez, Huerga and Turrientes, 2005).
The study further endorsed that infectious disease prevention should “cover the undocumented aliens with the local population for principles of equity and in the preservation of public health” (Lopez-Velez, Huerga and Turrientes, 2005). “Denying public health care is an unwise policy because this will eventually caused spiraling costs” during emergencies (Mandleco, 2002: 5). Considering how diseases know no borders, spread is particularly maximized among children.
Te increasing number of children coming in with medically undiagnosed problems also creates the need for a comprehensive program supporting availability of services that could help identify their medical conditions and treatment modalities. In the end, preventive services can “simultaneously protect the general health of the entire nation” (Mpelembe Network, 2003). Findings of the study Although Huerga and Turrienets’ work was conducted in EU, it is interesting to observe the similarities of diseases found in EU against the Minnesota Report.
Lopez-Velez, Huerga and Turrientes’ study was conducted mostly on immigrants from tropical and subtropical locations. However, any known similarities found on diseases could be explained due to the original economic and geographical locations of immigrants. Findings revealed that among undocumented immigrant’s children with no access to health care infectious disease was highly present. In children with Tuberculosis, intestinal parasitic infestations and hepatic B and C was quite common among children, while a smattering of other tropical diseases was likewise found (Lopez-Velez, Huerga and Turrientes, 2005).
In Minnesota, 50% of the refugees were children who carried disease burdens as “53% tested positive for PTB, 31% with parasitic infections; others with anemia while 7. 5% were Hepatitis B carriers” (Mpelembe Network, 2003). Clinical illness is manifested within a “period of 5-16 days in average communicable diseases as organisms within the bodies of carriers are spread and passed on to others through different modes” (Evans and Brachman, 1998: 640).
A sudden occurrence of communicable disease thus have a potential risk for epidemic increase and remains a threat as important health care issues remains unaddressed. Analysis of the Article The above findings revealed that children are highly predisposed to diseases like PTB and other related cough conditions. Intestinal parasite infestation and other diseases were common in the two studies yet another commonality “would try to recommend screening protocols to diagnose diseases in children and treat them” (Lopez-Velez, Huerga and Turrientes, 2005).