Re: New Diseases and medical costs associated with illegal immigration.

From: DBM (dbmacpherson_at_uq.net.au)
Date: 02/23/05 

Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 13:54:32 +1000

Back in the 'Old Days' before aircraft, ships pulling into port
underwent 'quarantine'.

Quarantine could be as 'mild' as restricting sailors on cargo ships to
certain areas of the port - where they had all the 'amenities' they'd
been missing on the High Seas (booze, food, women, etc), or as
'rigorous' as keeping immigrants in isolated compounds or on ships for
weeks to prevent the spread of any disease they might have with them
(waiting out the 'incubation period').

'Quarantine' also meant 'anti-vermin' procedures meant to contain and
eradicate any vermin that might leave a ship (rats, mice, insects,
etc). These procedures involved 'fumigation' for insects, traps for
larger animals, and in earlier times, cats that caught rats and mice.

Then aircraft came in, and tourism became Big Bucks. Here in
Australia, the aircrew used to spray the plane (and passengers) with
insecticide (fly-spray) prior to disembarking, supposedly to stop any
flying insects that might have gotten aboard (like mosquitoes carrying
West Nile Virus, Malaria, etc).

But people don't like being sprayed...

Prediction for the future?

If Avian Flu creates a Pandemic, airline flights will come under
extremely tough controls. No more 'domestic flights', all
'international flights' will HAVE to land at airports just inside
national borders, where passengers WILL be subject to quarantine.
'Surface travel' (trains, buses, ferries, etc) will have extra
restrictions as well.

NOTE - During the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic, you couldn't board a bus
or train in the USA if you weren't wearing a 'surgical mask', let
alone if you had any OBSERVABLE symptom that might be the 'flu (runny
nose, cough, sneeze, fever, etc).

If travel restrictions are put in place, Tourism will crash, as will
those associated services and industries (Hotels, Cleaners, Caterers,
Farmers who supply the caterers, Trucking companies that transport the
produce, Rent-A-Car, Tourist Agencies, etc). There will be 'price
hikes', there will be 'job losses', there will be 'downturns' at
work - you may have a choice of unemployment (with no chance of a
job), or keep your job but only have work for a few hours a week (if a
Hotel has 90% vacancy rates during 'Peak Season' like they did in the
USA after September 11, what need is there to clean empty rooms?).

You don't even need a 'Flu Pandemic - Google search "CA-MRSA" for
'Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus"
(Anti-biotic resistant Golden Staph). According to the news reports,
the new strains can kill within 24 hours to a week - even with
Hospitalisation.

CDC - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/aresist/ca_mrsa_public.htm

American Medical Association - (refers to a case where shaving caused
'small breaks in the skin through which the bacteria gained access')
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/11/22/hlsc1122.htm

MJA - Medical Journal of Australia (necrotizing pneumonia - dead after
2 days in hospital)
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/181_04_160804/letters_160804_fm-3.
html

MDH (Minnesota Department of Health) - Preventing Staphylococcus
aureus Transmission
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/staph/prevention.htm
l

MDH Guidelines boil down to...
-Clean your hands (Keep your hands clean)
-Keep your linens (bedding) and clothes clean
-Do not share personal care items (Brushes, towels, etc)
-Take care of infections

A final thought - if you're renting your accommodation (and that
includes paying off mortgages - the Bank 'owns' your property until it
gets its money back), talk with your 'landlord' about what might
happen during times of crisis (National Crisis, Pandemic, personal
job-loss or market downturn, etc), and try to hammer out some sort of
'delayed payment' agreement NOW, while you still can. Most landlords
would rather have a 'good tenant' who's 'somewhat behind' on the rent
in trying times, than a 'vacant property' that's open to getting
trashed by 'squatters' and 'druggies'. 

--
Yours, DBM - dbmacpherson@uq.net.au
>From Somewhere in Australia, the Land of Tree-hugging Funnelwebs...

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