“The Immigrant Kids Have Health Issues” by Poon

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Article Discussion
Summary and Call to Action
References

Introduction

The topic of immigrant children who come to the US to escape the violence in their home country has become increasingly important. Because there is a variety of concerns connected to the kids’ health state, professionals from the field have been voicing their opinions on ways to resolve the question. Objectively evaluating each side of the debate is necessary to create a proper policy for immigrant kids.

Article Discussion

The underlying issue connected to children arriving from Central America to the US is the concern about them having no vaccinations, and carrying diseases that can spread to the rest of the population in the country. The ethical implication raises the question of whether the kids who come from dangerous environments should be allowed to remain in the US. The political and policy aspects include the endangerment of the general population that can be a possible consequence of such actions.

One side in the debate argues that the kids can have illnesses such as swine flu, Ebola, tuberculosis, and dengue fever. The diseases are dangerous as they can become epidemical due to their nature. Additionally, reports of some children having tuberculosis and concerns about them not having vaccines are stated to crucial in the discussion (Poon, 2004). Thus, allowing children to go through the borders uncontrollably may endanger the nation’s health state. It is unclear what factual information is used by those who demand to send the children home, as the letter from Phil Gingrey did not include references to the sources of information. The organizational motive of the supporters for this argument is public health.

A counterargument to the debate is the lack of evidence that diseases do often occur among these children. According to the other side of the discussion, the World Health Organization has stated that over ninety-three percent of Central America’s population had been vaccinated in 2012 (Poon, 2014). Also, border control includes health examination (skin exams and X – rays) which would allow identifying severe diseases. Other safety measures are taken by the authorities, such as additional vaccinations in the processing facilities. The information utilized for the arguments was provided by the World Health Organization and the Texas Department of State Health Services. The motive of this side of the dispute is to protect the children that come to the US seeking shelter by validating the information and addressing the concerns.

Studies by different researchers suggest that immigrant children do not pose a threat to the general population due to the possibility of carrying severe diseases. Singh, Yu, and Kogan (2015) found that expatriate kids are less likely to have health problems when compared to US-born kids. Although the study focused on a broad variety of issues (including mental health and chronic conditions) it provided an understanding that these children should not be regarded as a health hazard. A similar conclusion was made by Howley et al. (2015), as the authors stated that the screening done by the border control is sufficient to identify tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis. Thus, the current measures taken by the government and its agencies can protect the population from diseases while providing help to immigrant children.

Summary and Call to Action

Overall, the evidence suggests that while immigrant kids can potentially affect the health of people in the US, it is unlikely that such an occurrence will happen. The measures directed at screening those who cross the border, and additional studies regarding the vaccination present proof that the possibility of an illness outbreak is small. Health practitioners should dedicate their attention to helping immigrant children treat the existing conditions while assisting in adapting to the new environment.

References

Howley, M. M., Painter, J. A., Katz, D. J., Graviss, E. A., Reves, R., Beavers, S. F., & Garrett, D. O. (2015). Evaluation of quantiFERON-TB gold in-tube and tuberculin skin tests among immigrant children being screened for latent tuberculosis infection. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 34(1), 35 – 39. Web.

Poon, L. (2014). The immigrant kids have health issues — but not the ones you’d think. National Public Radio. Web.

Singh, G. K., Yu, S. M., & Kogan, M. D. (2013). Health, chronic conditions, and behavioral risk disparities among U.S. immigrant children and adolescents. Public Health Reports, 128(6), 463 – 479. Web.

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“The Immigrant Kids Have Health Issues” by Poon

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