Published: 06/12/2005 at 1:10 AM
The American Academy of Pediatrics is warning of the worst
outbreak of whooping cough in 40 years, while those concerned about
border control see it as more evidence that vanquished diseases are
spreading due to widespread illegal immigration.
Whooping Cough, or pertussis, is particularly dangerous for
children and can be fatal in infants, warns the doctors group.
“This illness is called pertussis because it is caused by
bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, which attacks the lining of
the breathing passages, producing severe inflammation and narrowing
of the airways,” says the caution from the AAP. “Severe coughing is
a prominent symptom. Because the child is short of breath, she
inhales deeply and quickly between coughs. These breaths frequently
make a “whooping” sound, which is how this illness got its common
name. Older children might not have the whoop sound. The intense
coughing scatters the pertussis bacteria into the air, spreading
the disease to other susceptible persons.”
The group says whooping cough often acts like a common cold for
a week or two. Then the cough gets worse, and the child may start
to have the characteristic “whoops.” During this phase (which can
last two weeks or more), the child often is short of breath and can
look bluish around the mouth. Infants with pertussis become
exhausted and develop complications, such as susceptibility to
other infections, pneumonia and seizures. The cough may not
disappear for months and may return with subsequent respiratory
infections.
Hospitals, doctors and other health professionals are worried
about the resurgence of some serious infectious diseases, and some
believe illegal immigrants are the cause.
A rise in diseases such as whooping cough, tuberculosis,
malaria, measles and even leprosy are creating public health
concerns and have hit hospitals and health care systems already
financially burdened by indigent illegals flooding emergency rooms
and urgent care centers.
Madeleine Pelner Cosman, author of a report in the spring
issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, is
one of those professionals who has linked the increase in diseases
with illegal immigration.
“Certain diseases that we thought we had vanquished years ago
are coming back, and other diseases that we’ve never seen or rarely
seen in America, because they’ve always been the diseases of
poverty and the third world, are coming in now,” she said.
As WorldNetDaily
reported last month, even leprosy is suddenly on the radar of
health officials.
Cosman recommends closing the border to all illegal traffic,
rescinding the citizenship of “anchor babies,” those born in the
U.S. to parents of illegals, and making the aiding and abetting of
illegals a crime and an end to all future amnesty programs.
“We have a terrible, absolutely vicious, law called EMTALA: the
Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which is really
the culprit that requires every emergency room, and every physician
of an emergency room, to treat illegal aliens for free,” she
said.
Cosman said 84 hospitals in California have been forced to close
because of the high cost of treating illegal aliens with only 50
percent of all treatments reimbursed by government.
“Even physicians in those emergency rooms, don’t fully get the
point that by being compassionate, and generous, and gracious, they
are, in essence, destroying their own livelihoods as well as their
own hospitals,” she said.
While politicians often mention there are 43 million without
health insurance in this country, the Cosman’s report estimates
that at least 25 percent of those are illegal immigrants. The
figure could be as high as 50 percent.