LAREDO, Texas – Health experts from both sides of the border are in Laredo to talk about health concerns along the border in the U.S. and Mexico.
Perhaps at no time has this conference been more important than this year as thousands of migrants are making their way into both Mexico and the U.S. on a daily basis; a human surge from mostly Central America but also from places like Cuba and even the Congo in Africa. Most are claiming asylum in the U.S. Given the extreme violence, torture, kidnappings, rape and murder in their countries.
The concern among the health experts here are the potential diseases they’re bringing with them. Diseases we don’t see in this country on a regular basis. Certainly not in cities deeper in the U.S. Many of the migrants come from areas where there are jungles. Mosquito-borne illnesses like Malaria and Yellow Fever are possibilities. Certainly, diseases like Zika, Dengue Fever and others are the radar. And in the case of the migrants from Africa diseases like Ebola, Cholera and even Leprosy are potential health concerns. The medical professionals here want to be ahead of any problems that could affect the general population that live along the border.
