News (Noticias) Tagged ‘tuberculosis’

Researchers have found a potentially deadly strain of tuberculosis infection spreading through Latino communities in Southern California and suspect the disease is being imported from Mexico in unpasteurized cheese.

Health officials in Orange County, though, say they have not seen any cases of the rare strain of tuberculosis in at least five years. They credit a long-running campaign to educate people about the dangers of eating unlabeled cheese and other dairy products.”*

Depressed, disillusioned and in declining health, Simón Bolívar set sail for Santa Marta, Colombia, on Dec. 1, 1830, asking the ship captain to detour into rough waters in hopes that he might get seasick and purge his ill insides.

It didn’t work.

Bolívar, a leader of the revolution that freed Colombia and its neighbors from Spanish rule, died in Santa Marta 16 days later. ”It was easy to recognize,” reported the attending physician after an autopsy, that he died from tuberculosis.

But Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez — whose devotion to Bolívar knows no bounds — is questioning that verdict and suggesting he was poisoned by oligarchs in neighboring Colombia — his main current foe after the United States.”*

*From: http://www.miamiherald.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Decrying the surge in hate speech and violence that has surrounded the immigration debate, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., launched a campaign today to end hate speech in the immigration debate and called on presidential candidates and news media networks to divorce themselves from known hate and vigilante groups and to end rhetoric that demonizes immigrants and Hispanic Americans.

“The immigration issue deserves serious debate and serious solutions,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “We cannot have that debate as long as hate has the floor.”

Murguía chastised cable news television for “handing hate a microphone” over the past three years by hosting spokespeople from hate and vigilante groups such as Dan Stein of Federation for American Immigration Reform and Jim Gilchrist and Chris Simcox of the Minuteman Project more than 110 times, usually identifying them only as “anti-immigration advocates.” She singled out television pundits such as CNN’s Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck and MSNBC political commentator Pat Buchanan for parroting hate speech and driving the immigration debate in a manner that demonizes the Hispanic community.

Presidential candidates who seize on the immigration issue to avoid talking about other issues such as Iraq and the economy also came under fire from Murguía. She faulted them for “amigo shopping,” a derogatory term used by suburban youth who attack and rob day laborers knowing that their victims have little recourse. Murguía specifically called on Mike Huckabee, 2008 presidential candidate and former governor of Arkansas, to renounce the endorsement of, and sever all ties to, Jim Gilchrist, a cofounder of the Minuteman Project and a self-avowed “vigilante.”

“There’s a bully in the room,” said Murguía, “and each of these candidates has a choice. They can stand up to the bully or they can cater to him. It is a question of courage or cowardice. To date, we have seen far too little courage.”

Relying heavily on documentation provided by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, Murguía catalogued the rise in the use of code words that label immigrants and Latinos as a threat to the American way of life. She articulated four categories of code words, rhetoric that:

* Refers to immigrants as “an army of invaders” or an “invading force”
* Associates immigrants with animals and refers to them as “a massive horde” or “swarm”
* Accuses immigrants of “bringing crime and disease” to America, including “leprosy, tuberculosis, and malaria” and “gang warfare”
* Purveys the conspiracy theory of “reconquista” or “Atzlán” – the taking back of lands in the southwestern United States for Mexico

(Click here to view a short video reel illustrating some examples www.wecanstopthehate.org.)

NCLR is conducting a campaign to educate Americans about the use of hate speech and the growing rise in violence against Latinos. Called the “Wave of Hope Campaign,” it features:

* An anti-hate website entitled “We can stop the hate ”
* Engaging media networks and candidates to separate themselves from hate groups and hate speech
o This week, NCLR wrote to Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee asking him to renounce the support of, and sever all ties to, Jim Gilchrist.
o NCLR also wrote to three cable news networks – Fox, CNN, and MSNBC – asking to meet with top management about extremists appearing regularly on their programming and ending the hate speech parroted by network news commentators.
* Working with other minority groups to confront hate speech
* Asking candidates to elevate the debate and “pledge” to reject hate speech

Stating that “words have consequences,” Murguía pointed to an FBI report which shows a 23% rise in violence against Latinos. “To the Latino community,” said Murguía, “the surge in hate speech and violence is appalling. But, it should be appalling to everyone.”

Murguía said she recognized that ultimately the power to change the debate lies with the Hispanic community itself. “Latinos buy products from the advertisers supporting these programs,” she said. “Latinos vote in primaries and in the general election. We have a significant role to play picking winners and losers in both arenas. We need to make it clear to those who embrace hate that they do so at their own economic and political peril.””*

*From: http://www.nclr.org
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Government officials, activists and public policy groups across the country are closely watching Arizona, where a new state law imposes tough sanctions on employers who hire undocumented workers. The law, which took effect Jan. 1, is seen as a test for the nation. UC Davis has a wide range of experts who can provide perspective and background on immigration policy:

IMMIGRATION, GLOBALIZATION AND WAGES — An estimated 9 to 12 percent of Arizona’s 3 million workers are illegal immigrants. Robert Feenstra, the C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics at UC Davis, is an expert on globalization and the economic forces that promote immigration. He has written extensively on the impacts of international trade and foreign investment, including the effects of NAFTA. He is especially interested in the effects of trade and investments on wages earned by workers. Feenstra is editor of the Journal of International Economics, directs the Center for International Data at UC Davis, and is also the director of the International Trade and Investment program at the National Bureau of Economic Research, based in Cambridge, Mass. Contact: Robert Feenstra, Economics, 530-752-7022, rcfeenstra@ucdavis.edu.

IMMIGRATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH — Jobs and access to health care remain closely linked in this country. Adela de la Torre, professor of Chicana/o studies and director of the Center for Public Policy, Race, Ethnicity and Gender at UC Davis, studies health care access and finance issues that affect the Latino community. She is also an expert on border health issues, from tuberculosis to AIDS. From 1996 to 2002, de la Torre was director of the Mexican American Studies and Research Center at the University of Arizona, where she developed and directed the Border Academy, a summer institute that explored issues unique to the U.S.-Mexico border. An economist, de la Torre is the author of “Sana, Sana: Mexican Americans and Health,” and “Moving From the Margins: A Chicana’s View of Public Policy.” Contact: Adela de la Torre, Chicana/o Studies, 530-752-3904, adelatorre@ucdavis.edu.

PRODUCE PRICES, FARMWORKER WAGES AND OTHER IMPACTS OF IMMIGRATION POLICY — Philip Martin, professor of agricultural and resource economics, has published extensively on labor, migration, economic development and immigration policy issues. He has testified before Congress and state and local agencies on these issues, particularly as they relate to agricultural labor. Martin recently co-authored a report urging California policymakers to develop strategies to encourage and hasten the integration of immigrants into the state’s economy and society. He also can discuss labor and migration as they affect U.S. and Mexico relations. He maintains a Web publication, Migration News, with extensive information about world migration issues. Contact: Philip Martin, Agricultural and Resource Economics, 530-752-1530, plmartin@ucdavis.edu.

IMPACT OF IMMIGRANT LABOR ON JOBS AND WAGES OF NATIVE WORKERS — UC Davis growth economist Giovanni Peri has found that immigration labor is linked to robust city and state economies around the country. “Our work shows that cities with more immigrants in the workforce exhibit higher productivity and wages for the American-born employees,” Peri says. “This is true even when we focus specifically on less educated native workers.” Contact: Giovanni Peri, Economics, 530-554-2304, gperi@ucdavis.edu.

IMMIGRATION POLICY AND CIVIL RIGHTS — Kevin R. Johnson, the Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law at UC Davis, can talk about the potential impacts of Arizona’s law on the civil rights of citizens and immigrants alike. Johnson, a nationally and internationally recognized expert on immigration and civil rights, is also a professor of Chicana/o studies. His books include “Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink Its Borders and Immigration Laws” and “The ‘Huddled Masses’ Myth: Immigration and Civil Rights.” He is co-editor of the ImmigrationProf blog (http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/ ) and a member of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s Immigration Policy Group. Contact: Kevin R. Johnson, School of Law, 530-752-0243, krjohnson@ucdavis.edu.

IMMIGRATION, POVERTY AND SURVIVAL — Agricultural and resource economics professor Edward Taylor studies migration and its impacts on Pacific Rim countries, specifically Mexico, Central America and Ecuador. He can talk about the reasons behind a transfer of rural poverty from Mexico into the U.S. His recent research has explored the draw of Mexican immigrants into California, where they have created pockets of poverty throughout the Central Valley. Taylor is also an expert on salary remittances as economic multipliers, how immigration promotes survival in native villages and other economic issues triggered by immigration. He co-wrote, with UC Davis Professor Philip Martin and Urban Institute researcher Michael Fix, a new book, “The New Rural Poverty.” Contact: Ed Taylor (fluent in Spanish), Agricultural and Resource Economics, 530-752-0213, taylor@primal.ucdavis.edu.

HOW OTHER COUNTRIES HANDLE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION — An expert on comparative immigration policy, Jeannette Money can talk about contemporary policies in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. She can also provide historical context for international immigration policy. A political scientist, Money is the author of “Fences and Neighbors: The Political Geography of Immigration Control.” Contact: Jeannette Money, Political Science, jnmoney@ucdavis.edu, 530-752-9095. Note: Money is only available for print interviews.

IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION LAWS AND ENFORCEMENT ON BUSINESS AND RACE RELATIONS — Bill Ong Hing, professor of law, studies the impact of immigration laws and enforcement on businesses and immigrant communities. He has conducted extensive research on immigration law, policy, procedure and criminal justice. He also studies the changing demographics of Asian American communities, and the impact of these demographic shifts on race relations. Hing’s latest book is titled “Deporting Our Souls — Values, Morality and Immigration Policy.” His other books include “Defining America Through Immigration Policy,” “Making and Remaking Asian America Through Immigration Policy” and “To Be an American — Cultural Pluralism and the Rhetoric of Assimilation.” Contact: Bill Ong Hing, School of Law, 530-754-9377, bhing@ucdavis.edu.

ANTI-IMMIGRANT SENTIMENTS — Luis Guarnizo, an expert on global migration, can talk about the universal issues of citizenship and human rights raised by undocumented workers around the world. He can also discuss the tensions generated when increasing demand for immigrant labor clashes with growing anti-immigrant initiatives in the Northern Hemisphere. Guarnizo has investigated the web of social networks and power structures that transcend territorial jurisdictions. He recently completed a study about Latin American immigration in four European countries — Italy, Spain, England and Denmark. Guarnizo is co-editor of “Transnationalism From Below” and of a special issue on transnational communities of the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies. Contact: Luis Guarnizo (fluent in Spanish), Human and Community Development, 530-752-9805, leguarnizo@ucdavis.edu.

DOMESTIC WORKERS AND IMMIGRATION — Rhacel Parrenas, professor of Asian American studies, studies domestic workers, a group composed of mostly undocumented migrants, temporary labor migrants and “out of status” migrants — those whose status is in transition from undocumented to documented. She can talk about the quest by women and men from the Philippines, Mexico, Sri Lanka, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Peru and Indonesia to leave poverty behind. She can also talk about the economic and social effects of their emigration on their families. Parrenas is the author of three books, “The Force of Domesticity: Migrant Women and Globalization,” “Children of Global Migration” and “Servants of Globalization.” The latter was made into the documentary “The Chain of Love.” She is at work now on a book about human trafficking of women into the sex industry. Contact: Rhacel Parrenas, Asian American Studies, 530-752-1104, rparrenas@ucdavis.edu.

- - - -

CONTACT: Claudia Morain, UC Davis News Service, 530-752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu

“*

*From: http://newswire.ascribe.org
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

“For the second time this year, the federal government has failed to stop a man infected with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis from traveling in and out of the United States.

U.S. officials this spring were unable to catch a Mexican man infected with the disease because the doctor treating the man did not know his real name, according to a government official who was briefed on the incident but requested anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss it publicly.

In May, an Atlanta lawyer with the disease was able to travel internationally despite warnings from health officials.”*

“Maria is not her real name, but the woman I have called that told me this story last year as I was administering surveys during Binational Health Week. It’s hard to imagine that a doctor in Watsonville would turn away a woman with a broken arm, but that’s precisely what Maria believes happened to her.

Since its launch in 2001, the goal of Binational Health Week — which occurred last week — has been to improve the health care of immigrants by providing information about tuberculosis, diabetes, breast cancer and other diseases, and initial health screenings for conditions such as high blood pressure. Increasingly, the goal includes educating immigrants about their rights. Under state law, for example, the hospital Maria visited was required to provide a Spanish translator. More basically, even undocumented immigrants have the right to emergency health care, a right few realize they have.”*

“The 246-page study sponsored by the U.S./Mexico Border Counties Coalition, determines how the counties stretching from San Diego County, Calif., to Cameron County, Texas, would rank compared with the rest of the nation in areas including education, immigration, crime and health care.

“Immigration is only one issue that affects the border,” said Greg Cox, the coalition’s president.”

“The United States will donate more than $1 million to Mexican border health organizations dealing with HIV, tuberculosis and other health problems, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico announced here Tuesday.

“The United States has made the global fight against HIV/AIDS a major priority of its foreign policy,” U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said. “This is not only for humanitarian reasons, but because the spread of HIV threatens the prosperity, stability and development of nations all over the world.””

“If the 24 counties along the nation’s Southwest border were a 51st state, it would rank first in federal crimes, second in tuberculosis and near the bottom in education, per capita income and access to health care.

Members of the U.S./Mexico Border Counties Coalition released a report including those estimates Wednesday as senators began to grapple with proposals for overhauling the nation’s immigration system. “

“When an illegal worker gave birth to a premature baby, Canyon County wound up with a $174,000 hospital bill. County officials say the jail spent thousands to house another illegal immigrant at a motel, after his tuberculosis threatened to infect fellow inmates.

But where others have merely chafed at paying costs like these, officials in Canyon County are trying a novel approach: The all-Republican county commission has filed a racketeering lawsuit against four big businesses in the area, charging that they deliberately hire illegal workers.”

“Hispanics are falling further behind whites in getting quality medical care, while other minority groups are closing the gap, federal officials said Monday.

The areas where Hispanics were slipping include treatment for diabetes, mental illness and tuberculosis. Officials also found growing gaps for Hispanics in getting regular dental visits for their children and speedy care for injury or illness….”

Please note some (many) sites require registration. Many times it is free.

“Arizona Congressman J.D. Hayworth is concerned that illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico into the United States are bringing infectious diseases with them.

“Americans should be told that diseases long eradicated in this country tuberculosis, leprosy, polio, for example and other extremely contagious diseases have been linked directly to illegals,” the Republican representative told the Business Journal of Phoenix earlier this year.

There’s a grain of truth in that statement, as the diseases Hayworth mentioned all are contagious. But most experts say there’s little chance any of them will become a significant health risk for anyone other than the people who catch them overseas.”

Please note some (many) sites require registration. Many times it is free.

“English can be a lifeline connecting medical patients to proper health care. Many local Latinos with poor English skills are suffering poor health, experts say, a problem worsened by unhealthy cultural practices.

Obesity, diabetes and tuberculosis rates: All are higher among Latinos than whites.”

Please note some (many) sites require registration. Many times it is free.