New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan announced that illegal immigration has been ushering a new wave of tuberculosis (TB) and polio to the city.
In a citywide letter to physicians and healthcare administrators last week, Vasan said that the more than 50,000 illegal immigrants that have come to New York City since last year caused a spike in contagious diseases like tuberculosis and polio.
New York City’s TB rate, at 6.1 cases per 100,000, is more than double the national rate.
Close to nine out of 10 (88%) of these TB cases are people born outside the United States
