Every time you land at Heathrow Airport, you wonder if British health authorities really care about the British people. If you are bringing a dog, a cat or any other animal into the country, the said animal – provided it can be legally allowed into the country – will be usually left in quarantine until it is proven that it does not carry deadly diseases, many of which are difficult to detect.
When it comes to human beings, many precautions are put aside and, when faced with the unthinkable, we hear the usual chorus of ‘lessons will be learned’. Given the obvious link to the Subcontinent, this is yet another reason to be on our toes when it comes to immigration and the necessary measures that should be in place to avoid importing a deadly disease into the United Kingdom.
I mention India as I could mention any other country in the world and I do this to alley the fears of the usual culprits before they start making the also usual kind of accusations regarding racism et cetera et cetera. Let us remember that many of the aforementioned culprits are the very same people that burden us with excessive legislation and ridiculous rules regarding health and safety in the United Kingdom, but conveniently forget about things that really matter.
I think you're right to mention India in particular, as this country is still struggling with a caste system that allows the ones at the top to defacate on the street (let alone spit, which is the TB-spreader) in the understanding that Dalits will clear it up with their bare hands.
ReplyDeleteIn 2007 there was a bloke admitted to a hospital in Toronto with a diagnosis of XDR (extremely drug-resistant)TB. As I remember it was a misdiagnosis, but before this was discovered the chap was effectively imprisoned in the hospital.
And yet, as you say, people come here from countries that are dealing with pretty hairy diseases without having to undergo a health check. We're sleepwalking towards the day when XDR-TB will be as common here as MRSA, and for the same reasons.