Coming To A Hood Near You Thanks to the President’s agenda, thousands of diseased immigrant children are on their way to a hood near you. In the interest of educating the public, I am highlighting new diseases that will be introduced to everyone as a result of this invasion. Schools and daycares will only facilitate spread of these diseases. Disease #1: Chagas disease This disease is caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the ‘kissing bug’. neurosci.arizona.edu/kissingbugs/basicfacts This bug classically defecates on the skin and the fecal matter is introduced into the human body through scratching or through breaks in the skin. This disease is more common in areas of poor sanitation – i.e. areas where these children are come from. This disease has an acute phase and a chronic phase. Acute phase: Acute phase symptoms of Chagas disease include rash (non specific aside from the chagoma ), swollen lymph nodes, fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and Romaña sign (swelling of the eyelids on the side of the face near the bite wound or where the bug feces were deposited). The acute phase lasts for several weeks or months after infection. Acute phase symptoms are usually unnoticed because it is either symptom free or exhibits only mild symptoms and signs that are not unique to Chagas disease. Although the symptoms resolve, the infection persists if untreated. PEARL:: Healthcare workers and parents should be alert to the presence of Romana’s sign which is the most recognized marker of acute Chagas disease. Chronic phase: Chronic-phase symptoms and signs of Chagas disease may be irregular heartbeats, fainting spells cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, shortness of breath, stroke, sudden death, chronic abdominal pain, chronic constipation, dilated colon, and difficulty swallowing. Diagnosis: Testing is available to diagnose this disease. WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW: 1-Are healthcare providers in the children’s camps skilled in recognition of acute symptoms? 2- Is there routine testing of children to determine the prevalence of Chaga’s disease in this population? 3- Has the CDC determined potential disease burden to our healthcare system from Chagas disease introduced by these immigrants? 3- There is treatment for acute disease which is quite expensive and will require appropriate follow up and monitoring. What protocols have been set up to determine who pays for this treatment and how these children will be monitored once treatment has begun? 4- To what extent are the bugs (and parasites) responsible for Chaga’s disease being transported into the United States by these immigrants. 5- What effect will an increased prevalence of Chagas disease have on blood supplies in the United States (see below). IMPLICATIONS THAT WE ARE AWARE OF AT THIS POINT: 1- These immigrant children are at high risk for Chagas disease but we do not have adequate information on what is being done to protect the American public. 2- Our blood banks have been actively screening for Chagas disease as this parasite is transmitted through blood transfusions. We do not know what effect an increased prevalence of this parasite in the population will have on our blood supplies in the future. 3- No one knows what burden of disease is being introduced into the United States nor what the ultimate costs will be. ADDITIONAL READING: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20492607 cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/gen_info/vectors/
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 16:26:26 +0000
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