rssHealth Expert: Closing Borders Won’t Stop Swine Flu, But Could Undermine Treatment
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 10:33 am
- 6 Comments
Lawmakers and immigration restrictionists advocating closure of the border with Mexico to prevent the spread of swine flu into the United States may want to stop and listen to what Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and a longtime adviser to the U.S. government on public health preparations, had to say about that idea.
“There is no connection between the severity of a pandemic and border crossings,” Osterholm said Tuesday during an interview on Public Radio International’s “The World.” What’s more, closing the border could actually inhibit the United States’ ability to obtain what it needs to treat patients and stop the swine flu’s spread. “Few people realize how many of the medical products we use in this country are made outside of the country,” Osterholm said.
These products include the circuits for mechanical ventilators that help people breathe in a severe case of the flu. “One of largest producers of circuits in the world is in Mexico,” said Osterholm. “So if we suddenly shut down the border we’d limit how many ventilators we could provide.”
So despite the hysteria in the United States and in Europe — where the European Union health minister just issued an advisory against travel to the United States and Mexico — Osterholm says: “Border closings in and of themselves do not accomplish walling yourself off from that virus.”
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6 Comments
Comment posted April 29, 2009 @ 10:26 am
Ok, closing the border would be tough. How about this, Don't allow Mexican citizens with severe cases to be treated in US hospitals, like the case in Houston? Mexico has hospitals, you think if a US citizen, or god forbid, a Guatemalan, crossed the border near death to get treated in Mexico they'd be happy, I think not. Then there's the old canard; “One of largest producers of circuits in the world is in Mexico,” said Osterholm. “So if we suddenly shut down the border we’d limit how many ventilators we could provide.” Oh yeah, these circuits can ONLY be made in the epicenter of high-technology, Mexico. Please, I'll bet a first year US grad student could produce them in a week, give me a break.
Comment posted April 29, 2009 @ 4:03 pm
This is such liberal yuppie bullsh*t. Close the border, order the circuits from a different country or make them here. No one infected should be allowed to enter the country and questioning people at the border clearly does not work–if it did we wouldn't have an immigration problem or a drug problem. As for the students who brought this swine flu into the country because they went to Mexico for Spring Break–insolate them. The only way to stop an outbreak is containment–letting people enter the US will only allow it to spread here. It seems smart that terrorist would begin an outbreak in a neighboring country with little homeland defense and several officials that are EASILY bribed, knowing the weak, liberal and naive administration here. They won't close the border until half of the southern states die from Swine flu. I wouldn't be surprised if President Obama backed another “spending- stimulus” plan to help our neighboring country. What did President Obama's Ivy league education teach him?
Comment posted April 30, 2009 @ 9:27 am
I know how to make circuits —I'm looking for work — I'll take that job.
US Cititzen
Comment posted April 30, 2009 @ 12:20 pm
If Daphne Eviatar weren't a complete hack she would have done a few things:
1. Does the UM have a financial stake in this matter in some way, such as funding from pharma companies?
2. Could we buy ventilators from other countries?
3. How many trucks with ventilators cross the border, and aren't their shipments transferred to U.S. truckers near the border?
4.Is he actually saying that reducing the number of infected people in the U.S. wouldn't make a difference about how widespread it becomes? Is he serious?
Comment posted May 1, 2009 @ 10:37 am
and kick all the H-1B visa holders to the curb as well !
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