Scabies, chicken pox, MRSA, and other contagious viruses.

Reporter Navideh Forghani reported on Friday from the border town McAllen, Texas that individuals crossing over the border are being found with scabies, chicken pox, MRSA, and other contagious viruses.

I couldn't find the video on youtube. The link to the story and video is posted below.

link & video to story

MCALLEN, TX - There’s a growing health concern with hundreds of illegal immigrants crossing over into southern Texas.
This time the focus is not on the women and children that are crossing over in droves.

Agents are worrying about a viral outbreak.

“We are sending people everywhere. The average person doesn't know what's going on down here,” said Border Patrol agent and Rio Grande Valley Union representative Chris Cabrera.

Cabrera says agents are seeing illegal immigrants come over with contagious infections.

Detention centers and holding facilities have quarantined areas for those who come in sick. But Cabrera says the sick and healthy are separated only by caution tape.

“There's been an outbreak of scabies that's been going on for the past month,” Cabrera said.

Texas border resident Jorge Garcia says word about the contagious skin infection is getting around.

“Our Border Patrol agents check on us all the time and they told us about the outbreak of scabies,” Garcia said.

Cabrera says the sickness doesn't stop at scabies.

“We are starting to see chicken pox, MRSA staph infections, we are starting to see different viruses,” Cabrera said.

Garcia believes the viruses are not confined to the detention center. Not long ago, a group of border-crossers came knocking on his door.

“It was a 7-month-old baby. It was shaking, it had a fever,” Garcia said.

The Department of Homeland Security called in Coast Guard medics to help treat those who are sick. But Cabrera doesn't believe the federal government is doing enough. He says other Border Patrol agents have contracted scabies and he fears it will spread quickly.

“It's contagious, we are transporting people to different parts of the state and different parts of the country,” Cabrera said.

“Just the fact we are exposed to it, and so is everyone here in south Texas, it's a great concern to us,” Garcia said.

It's unclear how many were treated for illness.

abc15 - full story[

edit on 8-6-2014 by MrLimpet because: (no reason given)

Im sure this has been an ongoing problem since the border was invented.....id put my money on more scare type propaganda by some interested party or the other.....

May be calling it a medical security emergency will help fix it.

originally posted by: stirling
Im sure this has been an ongoing problem since the border was invented.....id put my money on more scare type propaganda by some interested party or the other.....

Oh, by "interest party" you must be referring to we American's who love our country and want to put an end to illegal immigration?

a reply to: MrLimpet
scabies is not a virus. they're microscopic spider mites that burrow into the skin folds.

originally posted by: Rekrul
a reply to: MrLimpet
scabies is not a virus. they're microscopic spider mites that burrow into the skin folds.

Yes, I am aware that scabies is not a virus. Thanks for making it clear to those who may not know.

Scabies is a highly contagious skin disease caused by an infestation by the itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei.

originally posted by: Rekrul
a reply to: MrLimpet
scabies is not a virus. they're microscopic spider mites that burrow into the skin folds.

You are correct, except that it is a mite and not a spider, and MRSA is not caused by a virus,but by a strain of the staph bacterium.

a reply to: Rekrul yes and they are a blight something i never want to catch again

Sounds to me like a scare tactic. Article only has two sources; a border agent and a local. No doctors notes, no public warning, no nothing. Just 2 random people. There's alot of nasties that come from living on the land for weeks, especially down there round the border. If it were being treated as a public concern then we'd be having a different conversation but as for now this a classic gov agency attention grabber

a reply to: F4guy

You are correct as well.

I guess I should have titled the thread differently.

Didn't mean to make it appear like they are all virus's.

a reply to: MrLimpet

I got scabies from work .. terrible experience. You can feel them for months after they die.