Illegal Immigration and the Threat of Infectious Disease

Active, Neglected Nodulous Lepromatous

Leprosy Lesions on Face

There's a growing health concern over illegal immigrants bringing infectious diseases into the United States. Approximately 500,000 legal immigrants and 80,000 refugees come to the United States each year, and an additional 700,000 illegal immigrants enter annually, and three-quarters of these illegal immigrants come from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Legal immigrants and refugees are required to have a medical examination for migration to the United States, while they are still overseas. This is the responsibility of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which provide instructions to the Panel Physicians who conduct the medical exams. The procedure consists of a physical examination, an evaluation (skin test/chest x-ray examination) for tuberculosis (TB), and blood test for syphilis. Requirements for vaccination are based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Individuals who fail the exam due to certain health-related conditions are not admitted to the United States. Such conditions include drug addiction or communicable diseases of public health significance such as TB, syphilis, gonorrhoea, leprosy, and a changing list of current threats such as polio, cholera, diphtheria, smallpox, or severe acute respiratory syndromes. Illegal immigrants crossing into the United States could bring any of these threats, however. Southern Texas Border Patrol agent Chris Cabrera warns: "What's coming over into the US could harm everyone. We are starting to see scabies, chicken pox, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, and different viruses."

Illegal immigration may expose Americans to diseases that have been virtually eradicated, but are highly contagious, as in the case of TB. This disease rose by 20% globally from 1985 to 1991, and was declared a worldwide emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1995. Furthermore, TB frequently occurs in connection with the human immunodeficiency virus. Fortunately, more than 90% of Central Americans are vaccinated against TB, according to the WHO.

The federal government's Department of Homeland Security has public health controls in place to minimize any possible health risks, including medical units at the busiest border stations and measures to protect Customs and Border Protection including gloves, long-sleeve shirts, and frequent hand washing. In addition, the CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine has measures in place to protect the population from...
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