Tuberculosis in illegal immigrants

Stephen Mumford

Feb 12th 2009, 09:29

We are a population with a culture very reluctant to change and yet this invasion gives me the shivers. Just reading your comments, the local newspapers and watching the daily bulletins justifies the above as nothing is being done. The govt and opposition are seemingly hand in hand sitting pretty on their seats with their mouths shut. I urge all you voters to make your feelings shiown in the next EP elections. We must show our dissapproval by sending out a clear message with our voting documents. Persons who have tried to retaliate against this invasion have been shut up and expression of speech has been deleted. I once again state this is a serious threat to our country, identity ( if we still have one !), our health sector ( they are preferred to us @ mater dei, i was present when persons where queing for 3 hrs and 4 immigrants came in and where seen to in a couple of minutes), I fear for our children's future.

lgalea

Feb 11th 2009, 23:00

Have a look at
http://www.afro.who.int/tb/reports/2003tb_surveillance_report.pdf

and
http://www.afro.who.int/tb/country-profiles/index.html

This is apart from the African TB strains being highly resistant to the normal medicines used to cure TB.

mark grima

Feb 11th 2009, 19:59

The Maltese might be inoculated for TB - but the vaccine is given in the early years of secondary school so the kids are not protected - and the disease can be acquired easily from sputum and coughing

Joseph Galea

Feb 11th 2009, 17:57

Therefore it is up to everyone of us to limit contact with any Naomi Campbell or Will Smith look alike to what is termed 'social contact'.

Joseph Schembri, shame on you for this comment. The same STD could also be 'caught' from a Madonna or Brad Pitt look alike. STDs relate to lifestyle rather than race.

Denis Catania

Feb 11th 2009, 16:43

My response to Dr R Busuttil.

Dear Dr.R Busuttil,
This is appalling. To place illegal immigrants in the same position as our valued tourists and the Maltese population. These illegals come from parts of the world where HIV is high among their citizens. As stated by the World Health Organization. Please understand in no way i'm saying to quarantine anyone. But when an immigrant legal or not. Know that he is HIV positive. I beleive they can enjoy life and be safe to others through education. I'm sorry you don't feel the need to test all immigrant legal or not for HIV. When applying to enter Malta or captured at sea trying to enter illegally. This put illegals, Maltese population and our valued tourist in great danger. Immigration whether it's legal or not is a privlege and not a right. I guess in Malta it becomes a right. As a concerned Maltese Citizen I would have to call for your resignation.

Regards,
Denis Catania.

Please note all these e-mails are available to any reporter from the Times for verification.

Denis Catania

Feb 11th 2009, 16:36

His office response


Mr Denis Catania



Pls find reply from Dr R. Busuttil, Director General, Public Health Regulation.

Regards

Desiree’ D’Amato

Irregular migrants that come to Malta are screened for those medical conditions which are deemed to cause a public health threat. Such conditions usually involve airborne/droplet transmitted infections and those transmitted by direct contact. This primarily involves tuberculosis and other contagious skin manifestations. Sexually transmitted and blood borne diseases are not considered to cause such a threat. Their mode of transmission is behaviour determined and therefore if the latter is addressed there is no need for screening. If screening was to be advocated for such conditions, then we should also be screening the local population as well as all the tourists coming to Malta as they too pose the same risk to the rest of the population.



In this regard irregular migrants are treated in the same way as local nationals and testing for the presence of the conditions mentioned is only carried out if it is clinically indicated.


R. Busuttil

Director General

Public Health Regulation

My response on next comment.

Denis Catania

Feb 11th 2009, 16:32

An e-mail i sent Minister Dalli last week.
Dear John Dalli,

I'm appalled at the fact that illegal immigrants are not given HIV test and we don't keep records on Hepatitis B or C on illegal immigrants.How can we not know if infected HIV illegal immigrants are still in Malta.

If this policy is not reversed. I beleive you should resign.

Regards,
Denis Catania

His office response on next comment.

Dr. J. Portelli

Feb 11th 2009, 15:36

@Joseph Schembri: "As far as I know the vast majority of Maltese people are protected against this awful disease by inoculation during their school years." I'm sorry to inform you that you are wrong.

I remember in my pathology years at medical school 8 years ago, we were told about resistant strains of Tubercolosis and that Tubercolosis was on the rise again in Europe. I can confirm that now: http://student.bmj.com/issues/08/04/editorials/138.php

8 years ago we hardly knew what illegal immigration was. Ah different times indeed.

louise vella

Feb 11th 2009, 14:58

www.timesofmalta.com reported:

1. 4 February – “EU Commissioner Jacques Barrot said yesterday he would visit Malta to see for himself "the difficult situation of illegal immigrants" ...”

2. 23 January – “Malta will receive €3.7 million from the EU … to help integration of refugees and immigrants.”

3. 24 January - “Malta's detention policy for irregular immigrants was heavily criticised by a UN working group that described conditions … as appalling and detrimental to the immigrants' health.” (!)

Government should give Barrot statistics on all illnesses for which illegal immigrants have been treated here at Maltese taxpayers’ expense. The treatment should also be costed and cost defrayed from EU funds allocated for the integration of illegal immigrants. Such money should not be distributed like manna to NGOs who invent ways of using it. Some NGOs are founded specially to tap EU funds.

The statistics and the cost should also be sent to the UN working group which was good at criticising but never put its money where its mouth lies. They’ll see what’s “detrimental to immigrants’ health”!

Finally UNHCR and JRS should be invited to comment on the effect of illegal immigration on the health situation of the Maltese islands.

Joseph calleja

Feb 11th 2009, 14:26

I will ask the same question again! Are these illegal immigrants given a thorough check up when they reach the shores of Malta? I hope that Silvio Parnis keeps asking questions regarding the health of these illegal immigrants. The Maltese public is entitled to know what kind of diseases these immigrants are bringing into the country. TB, HIV and other diseases can easily spread very fast and are very hard to stop. So the best remedy is to stop it before it starts

a darmanin

Feb 11th 2009, 14:17

@ Joseph Schembri

Yes ok that the majority of us are protected against TB, but what can we say about some of these illigals that have been diagnosed and carrying Typhoid, Polio, Malaria, Scabbies, Dyphteria, Hepatitis, Ebola, Scarlet fever, HIV...etc. etc.?

God only knows the statistic exactly!!!!

lgalea

Feb 11th 2009, 14:14

Gerard Cassar
They are roaming around the Maltese citizens and workers and on public transport Gerald.

Joseph Schembri
The strains of TB that the african countries have are greatly resistant to known cures, so the protection that we may have had during childhood may not be good enough against these strains.

Have a look at http://www.afro.who.int/tb/country-profiles/index.html and see the spread of TB in african countries.

d. borg

Feb 11th 2009, 13:26

What about other contagious diseases these immigrants carry? Is'nt it about time the govt starts being honest with us and telling us exactly what we are facing? I hope that immigrants who are found carrying these diseases are deported to their country immediately. Prevention is better than cure!!

Charles Sammut

Feb 11th 2009, 12:50

This is but the tip of the iceberg. Most cases involve other diseases and go unreported so as not to alarm the public.

@ Joseph Schembri

Most STD's are passed on through intimate contact but there have been cases where very serious diseases were contracted without direct physical contact. A detention officer became gravely ill after he touched a padlock to lock a gate at a detention centre. He then took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. The way cigarettes are packed, you have to touch the filter end to take it out of the packet and so you transfer germs from your dirty fingers to the filter and to your mouth.

The inmates had a habit of urinating on the padlock, hekk, vendekazzjoni. The incident almost ruined his marriage because normally this disease is brought about not by putting a cigarette in your mouth but something else.

Other diseases such as scabies can be readily transmitted through touching infected clothing or bedding.

Joe Demicoli

Feb 11th 2009, 12:41

Has anybody ever spared a thought about the inherent risks of locals, primarily workers in direct contact with these illegal immigrants. I have in mind teachers, other students especially the young ones at the tender age of our primary schools.
No doubt the Birzebbuga, Marsa and St Paul’s Bay areas are so prone of contracting diseases which are harmless to people but could be even lethal to our society.
How long shall we take the hush-hushing of cases that occasionally crop up as were cases in several of these school. The least one would expect the authorities to do is to provide free immunisation to ALL.

Joseph Schembri

Feb 11th 2009, 11:27

TB is very contagious but most STDs are not. Therefore it is up to everyone of us to limit contact with any Naomi Campbell or Will Smith look alike to what is termed 'social contact'.

Jan Sammut

Feb 11th 2009, 11:15

What about all the other highly infectious diseases these unwanted vagrants carry, like HIV, Scabies, VD and the multitude of STIs that up till a few years ago where endemic to Africa.

Will we ever be informed as to the above figures? It will ultimately be no one but the governments fault when the Maltese start falling ill with the above incurable diseases.

This administration will always be remembered for the disgraceful way it sold out its population to appease a minority of NGOs.

C. Azzopardi

Feb 11th 2009, 11:11

There should be more questions of this sort asked in parliament. After all we have a right to know exactly what these unwanted people are bringing in with them when they come here ILLEGALLY.

Joseph Schembri

Feb 11th 2009, 11:09

As far as I know the vast majority of Maltese people are protected against this awful disease by inoculation during their school years.

Joseph Casha

Feb 11th 2009, 10:41

Let me guess, we don't have any record of these either or whether or not they are still in malta......

lgalea

Feb 11th 2009, 10:40

Gonezipn, you are guilty for the spreading of TB and other exotic diseases that the illegal immigrats are spreading among the Maltese citizens.

No wonder EFA tried to agree with Gaddafi to send our doctors to be trained in african diseases!!!!

These are the dangers among others which you, Gonezipn, are exposing the Maltese population to.

You will be held guilty in the annals of history for your incompetence in dealing with this and other matters deleterious to the Maltese citizens and Malta.

Gerard Cassar

Feb 11th 2009, 10:28

Are these ill persons allowed to roam about and or are they being treated in hospital?