nypost.com Open in urlscan Pro
192.0.66.32  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Close the sidebar
 * News
 * Metro
 * Page Six
 * Sports
   * NFL
   * MLB
   * NBA
   * NHL
   * College Football
   * College Basketball
 * Post Sports+
 * Sports Betting
 * Business
 * Opinion
 * Entertainment
   * Oscars 2023
   * TV
   * Movies
   * Music
   * Celebrities
   * Awards
   * Theater
 * Shopping
 * Lifestyle
   * Weird But True
   * Health
     * Fitness
     * Health Care
     * Medicine
     * Men’s Health
     * Women’s Health
     * Mental Health
     * Nutrition
   * Sex & Relationships
   * Viral Trends
   * Human Interest
   * Parenting
   * Fashion & Beauty
   * Food & Drink
   * Travel
 * Real Estate
 * Media
 * Tech
 * Astrology
 * Video
 * Photos
 * Visual Stories
 * Sub Menu 1
   * Today’s Paper
   * Covers
   * Columnists
   * Horoscopes
   * Sports Odds
   * Podcasts
   * Careers
 * Sub menu 2
   * Email Newsletters
   * Official Store
   * Home Delivery
   * Tips

Close the sidebar
Menu
 * Facebook
 * Twitter
 * Flipboard
 * WhatsApp
 * Email
 * 

TRENDING NOW IN METRO

Skip to main content

AOC FLUNKS ADAMS' OVERHAUL OF MEDICARE FOR 250K RETIRED WORKERS

THREE TEENAGERS BEAT AND ROB MAN AT NYC SUBWAY STATION: COPS

TWO KIDS SERIOUSLY HURT AFTER FALLING FROM WINDOWS OF NYC...

Metro

exclusive


HALF OF MIGRANTS PILING INTO NYC NOT VAXXED FOR POLIO, TOP DOC WARNS

By Carl Campanile

April 16, 2023 | 7:30pm

Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan warned that about half of migrants arriving
in New York City are not vaccinated for polio. William Farrington

A startling 50% of migrants streaming into the Big Apple are not vaccinated
against the contagious and potentially deadly poliovirus, city Health
Commissioner Ashwin Vasan recently revealed — as he urged doctors to help
prevent a public health emergency, The Post has learned.

Advertisement

Vasan also said the new migrants come from, or pass through, countries with high
rates of infectious tuberculosis — and noted there’ve been outbreaks of
chickenpox in shelters housing the newcomers.


MORE ON: MIGRANTS


 * BAIL INSANITY AND MORE: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR — APRIL 16, 2023


 * BIDEN ALL BUT ADMITS WE’LL SEE EVEN WORSE BORDER CHAOS IN MAY


 * HOW NYC’S MIGRANT CRISIS STYMIES HOMELESS-SHELTER REFORM


 * POLICE RESCUE 7 MIGRANT UNDERAGE GIRLS FROM SEX TRAFFICKING RING AT TEXAS
   ‘STASH HOUSE’

“More than 50,000 people have come to New York City (NYC) in the past year
shortly after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. As more people arrive and many
make NYC their home, the scale and scope of need continues to grow,” Vasan said
in an eight-page letter, dated April 11, sent to physicians and other health
care providers. A copy was obtained by The Post.  

“I am writing now to underscore how critical it is that health care providers
take a wide range of considerations into account when working with people who
are seeking asylum … The scope of this letter represents the scale of the need.
It is incumbent upon us as a welcoming city to comprehensively evaluate and meet
these needs.”

Advertisement

Vasan said screening and vaccinating migrants for diseases and viruses that’ve
been kept in check in the city is a top priority.

“Vaccination rates for certain diseases are low in some of the most common
countries of origin, with rates hovering around 50% for polio as an example,”
the commissioner said.

A crowd of migrants wait in line to see immigration officials in Manhattan on
March 13, 2023.Robert Mecea

Advertisement

The polio virus spreads through person-to-person contact, lives in an infected
person’s throat and intestines — and can contaminate food and water in
unsanitary conditions.

Paralysis is the most severe symptom of poliovirus because it can lead to
permanent disability and death.

Between two and 10 out of 100 people who have paralysis from polio die because
the virus damages the muscles that help them breathe, according to the US
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Advertisement

Jay Varma, who served as the senior health advisor to former Mayor Bill de
Blasio, said the number of migrants not immune from polio is a cause for
concern, but manageable.

SEE ALSO


MIGRANT STUDENTS IN NYC SCHOOLS WITHOUT PROOF OF VACCINATIONS

“There is always a risk to public health when people are not vaccinated against
important infectious diseases, such as measles and polio,” Varma said told The
Post on Sunday.

Advertisement

“That said, the risk is not immediate, since there are high levels of
vaccination among children and adults among current New Yorkers. As the
Commissioner says, it is critical that the City work to provide newly arrived
persons with medical care, and ensure that healthcare providers catch up newly
arrived persons on their vaccinations, just as happens routinely for anyone
accepted into the US through the regular immigrant or refugee resettlement
programs.”

The potential for public health outbreaks is one of many concerns for officials
concerned about absorving the migrant influx.

Mayor Eric Adams said the estimated city tab could hit $4.3 billion to cover
shelter, food and other services for asylum seekers.

Advertisement

In his letter, the health commissioner said doctors should ask newcomers for
their immunization records “but anticipate they may not be available,” adding
any patient vaccine records should be entered into the Citywide Immunization
Registry.

“Children should be screened and vaccinated urgently with all needed recommended
immunizations, including those required for school attendance. Both influenza
and COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to everyone age 6 months and older,”
Vasan wrote.

He also said it was important to test for tuberculosis, an infectious bacterial
disease characterized by the growth of nodules in the tissues, especially the
lungs.

Advertisement

TB in the lungs or throat is often contagious, though it’s not infectious
in other parts of the body, like the kidney or spine.

Migrants arriving in Manhattan on a bus from El Paso, Texas on September 6,
2022.Robert Miller

People with TB are most likely to spread it to people they spend time with every
day, like family members.

Advertisement

“Many people who recently arrived in NYC have lived in or traveled through
countries with high rates of TB,” Vasan said.

He said people with symptoms of active TB should be promptly evaluated and
tested, including chest X-rays.

He said the city Health Department’s clinics provide treatment at no cost to
patients, regardless of their immigration status.

Advertisement

Migrants should be asked if they have TB symptoms, such as extended coughing and
coughing with blood, fever or night sweats, and unexplained weight loss.

“Health care providers should also assess all immigrants who recently arrived in
the U.S. for latent TB infection,” said the commissioner.

Migrants entering a shelter at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on February 2,
2023.Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Advertisement

The letter said migrants have been infected with chicken pox.

“An outbreak of varicella is occurring among families who recently arrived and
are residing in shelters and other facilities in NYC. Most cases have been among
unvaccinated children, but cases have also occurred among young adults,” the
letter said.

Chickenpox is a highly contagious and causes an itchy, blister-like rash on the
skin; it is not considered life-threatening.

Advertisement

“Vaccinate children and adults with no or an unknown history of varicella or
vaccination urgently,” Vasan said.

Typically, individual cases of varicella don’t need to be reported to the Health
Department.

But the commissioner said because of the recent outbreak with migrants,
chickenpox cases in shelters need to be reported to the Health
Department Provider Access Line.

Advertisement

He also urged doctors to get migrants up to speed with COVID-19 shots.

“COVID-19 continues to circulate in NYC,” the commissioner said. “Some people
may have received initial COVID-19 vaccinations at the U.S.-Mexico border but
may not have received additional immunizations in the U.S,” he wrote.

Elsewhere, the migrants need to be screened for trauma, given the often grueling
and risky journey endured just to get across the Mexico-US border border and end
up in New York, as well as check for sexually transmitted diseases and maternal
health, he urged.

Advertisement

“For many people who are seeking asylum, finding refuge entails traveling long
distances and enduring numerous experiences before getting help. Despite being
resilient, many people seeking asylum are at elevated risk for experiencing poor
mental health due to traumatic pre- and post-migration experiences and
preexisting social and mental health conditions that can impair their ability to
cope,” the letter said.

What do you think? Post a comment.

Equally important is helping migrants apply for public health insurance since
they’re mostly eligible despite their undocumented or uncertain immigration
status, pending asylum applications.

Advertisement

Children under age 18 are eligible for the Child Health Plus public health
insurance program, regardless of immigration status. 

Pregnant women are eligible for Medicaid, regardless of immigration status and
paroled immigrants — those allowed to temporarily love or work in the US — may
be eligible for public health insurance.

Others will at least qualify for Emergency Medicaid, which pays medical costs
like hospital admission and treatment.


Ad



SHARE THIS:


Filed under eric adams ,  health department ,  illegal immigrants ,  migrants , 
4/16/23
Load more...

{{#isDisplay}}


{{/isDisplay}}{{#isAniviewVideo}} {{/isAniviewVideo}}{{#isSRVideo}}
{{/isSRVideo}}



https://nypost.com/2023/04/16/half-of-migrants-piling-into-nyc-not-vaxxed-for-polio-top-doc-warns/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons
Copy the URL to share
 * Post Sports+
 * Email Newsletters
 * Mobile Apps
 * Contact Us
 * Tips

 * Facebook
 * Twitter
 * Instagram
 * LinkedIn
 * Email
 * YouTube

© 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Terms of Use | Privacy
Exit mobile version