Health threat from illegal immigrants

THE EDITOR: I will like to inform the Minister of Health of a grave situation developing in the country. At this point in time our nation is facing an influx of large numbers of illegal immigrants from Venezuela, Guyana, China, Columbia etc. While the immigration department grapples with the problem of regularisation of these foreigners, who in the Health Ministry checks on the health status of these people? Many of these foreigners have been granted work permits and now work in the food-catering industry as cooks, bakers, pastry chefs etc. Others who have no work permits also work in the industry at the expense of locals. This situation could pose a serious health risk for the nation.

From information garnered, some of these people have poor personal hygiene. They seldom bathe and are always smelly and itchy, while others spit here, there and everywhere. Suppose one of these “spitters” has tuberculosis, you can see the danger here. Others could possess any type of communicable disease. The Health Ministry, Mr Minister, needs to put in place some type of quarantine facilities in order to assess the health status of foreign personnel entering our country before they are allowed into a vital industry like food handling. Regular checks by sanitary inspectors and other health personnel should also be made of these food outlets to ensure compliance to proper standards.

THOMAS JOB
Maraval