“Is there a perfect storm brewing along our nation’s southern border? Let’s take a look at the numbers in El Paso, Texas where I recently visited:
There are 27 million crossings per year alone at the El Paso Point of Entry (POE) and a border population of 25 million or 25% of the U.S.;
Cuts to federal funding including a 50% reduction in the Early Warning Infectious Disease Program as well as 12.5% cuts to critical preparedness and response funding;
Texas is second in the nation for number of tuberculosis cases, the majority of which are found near the border and many of the cases involve tuberculosis strains that are drug resistant
The bordering country, Mexico, was the source of the last global influenza pandemic”
Source: CDC – Blogs – Public Health Matters Blog – Borders, Budgets, and the Rising Risk of Disease
