Government officials believe illegal immigrants are responsible for spreading tuberculosis to the U.S. Most illegal immigrants come from countries where health care is inadequate, and/or the immigrants lived in poor areas where they do not or can not seek proper health care. This puts them at risk for developing and dying from curable diseases, such as tuberculosis.

Recently, 40 Cuban immigrants were detained in Brownsville, Texas, when they told U.S. Customs agents they had tuberculosis. Even if just one of the forty immigrants tests positive for tuberculosis, they are all at risk for developing the disease.

All forty Cuban immigrants are scheduled for tuberculosis testing. If they test negative, they will be released. If they test positive, they will be "held in quarantine at the Bayview Detention Center". Read full article...

Update: The Cuban immigrants had chest x-rays performed earlier this week, and it was revealed that they do NOT have tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is on the rise, affecting over 50 million people in over 30 countries. The toughest tuberculosis to control is multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. If you have not been tested within the past year, you should see your doctor about tuberculosis testing.

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