There is currently a public health crisis in America among the migrant population.
Chicago faces a measles epidemic. Many parts of America are similarly affected, according to the CDC Measles Dashboard.
Health care for migrant children and adolescents in Chicago and other sanctuary cities needs to be more targeted and provided with increased federal funding.
Texas transported more than 100,000 migrants to different cities in the United States. More … than 36,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since August 2022. Chicago is one of many cities in the United States facing the challenges of mass migration, with New York City And Denver reporting similar figures for the migrant population. Children represent approximately 20 percent of the migrant population in Chicago.
The flow measles epidemic in Chicago comes after the varicella in December 2023, which increased the prevalence of sepsis among migrants.
A 5 year old child migrant named Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero died on December 17, 2023. The Chicago Mayor's Office The report attributed the death to sepsis caused by infections like Strep and Covid-10, based on an autopsy.
The past few months have been extremely difficult for the Chicago Health Department, with outbreaks affecting children and adolescents. THE Federal public health emergency related to COVID-19 ended on May 11, 2003. Cities like Chicago, New York, and Denver did not have time to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic before the current flood of health crises involving the migrant community.
Given the number of adolescents among the migrant population in the United States, the health of these migrant adolescents requires special attention due to their unique challenges.
I am grateful to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago for allowing me to volunteer at migrant shelters during my school breaks for the past 12 months.
During my spring break in late March, I volunteered at a migrant shelter with Rush clinical staff, who provided MMR vaccines to the migrant community to combat the measles outbreak. In addition, COVID-19 and flu vaccines were administered. These vaccinations save the lives of migrant children and adolescents.
Likewise, during the summer of 2023, I completed an internship via the Rush Center to Transform Health and Housing in a Chicago police station that temporarily housed migrants. Assisting a Rush primary care physician and community social workers, I was exposed to the health needs of migrant children housed at the shelter. Language barriers created difficulties in meeting their needs. These teenagers did not speak English and more translators were needed. To address the crisis, the city needed to employ more translators or involve more community organizations with language skills.
Special reports from the Chicago Tribune highlighted the The plight of migrant children in need of medical care in police stations and discussed the challenges of migrant children aged 7 to 13 with special needssuch as autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis, MD, is the chief medical liaison for community health equity at Rush University Medical Center. Dr. Davis says, “Many adolescents in the population are seeking asylum in the United States. Like any adolescent, they need comprehensive health care, including mental health, preventive services, and care for acute and chronic illnesses. They may have suffered trauma and malnutrition during their journey and need special attention to these issues. They also need support navigating an unfamiliar healthcare system. » Governor of Illinois and Mayor of Chicago asked the federal government provide more aid to Chicago to deal with the migrant crisis. We need federal funds for the health of migrant children and adolescents.
I urge the federal government to provide more help to Chicago and other sanctuary cities to address the health problems of migrant adolescents.
Ruhi Saldanha is an undergraduate student.