Cities to stay away from - Springdale, Arkansas

[Queasy]

Yikes

SPRINGDALE - The medical community is warning the public: a leprosy outbreak in Springdale could blossom into an epidemic, if something isn't done soon.

Doctors say at least nine cases of leprosy have been confirmed in Springdale. Local doctors say they would be shocked by even one case of leprosy in their entire career, so they say something must be done soon, in order to stop leprosy's spread.

Springdale MD Jennifer Bingham says, "my initial response was: I am shocked. I am shocked we are seeing this. It's a true reason to be very worried."

Medical specialists say the Marshall Islands have the most cases of leprosy, in the world. And the city with the largest number of Marshallese people, outside the Marshall islands, is Springdale. And Bingham says, it makes sense, then, that leprosy is spreading to the city. "It's from the Marshall islands; that's why we're seeing it."

Bingham says she is all for Marshallese people entering the United States, after proper medical tests. But whether they're immigrants or not, she says people must stick to treatment, when infected. And she says, when she treats those from the Marshall Islands, this doesn't happen. "We're not getting the compliance that is absolutely essential to take care of this process."

Bingham says without cooperation, leprosy, which has no vaccine, and is transmitted through the air, will spread, and could easily become an epidemic. "People absolutely should be concerned. What I'm afraid of, is when people start thinking about it enough, it will already be out of control."

So now, Bingham, and others like Mayoral candidate Nancy Jenkins, say government help is the next step. Jenkins says she's angered the federal government has been so lax with border patrol. She says, "We've just opened the borders and said, 'Come on in! Bring your diseases! Bring 'em!' Why are we doing that? Those who have it need to be quarantined and treated, or sent back to their country."

Dr. Bingham is requesting the public take action, and write everyone from legislators, and presidential candidates, to Congress, and the Health Department. Shey says, "the only way to truly protect our community and our economic growth, is to think of this as a very important, panic-mode attempt to treat leprosy: before it gets out of hand."

Doctors say leprosy will appear as a discoloration, or nodules, on the skin, especially the fingers, toes, arms, and face. With treatment, it is curable, but it can take from six months, to two years, to completely disappear.

Springdale is also reporting over 100 cases of tuberculosis.

 

[mugs]

Hah... and it turned into an illegal immigration issue.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: mugs
Hah... and it turned into an illegal immigration issue.

Which is odd because the people from the Marshall Islands technically aren't illegal aliens. We entered into a treaty with them which allows them to come here as "guests" but they are not granted citizenship or any of the benefits that come with it.

edit: Now that I think about it, they do have a point here. Even if the people from the Marshall Islands are allowed here as guests, they need to be properly screened before coming in for this very reason. And once discovered, they need to be quarantined and properly dealt with.

 

[bsobel]

Ouch, my folks live in the next town, Rogers...

 

[Anubis]

wow, thats something you dont hear of every day

 

[Mermaidman]

The visible symptoms are so vague that many people will think they have it! Kind of like an ATOT member posting a "What's wrong with me?" thread.

I guess the authoritahs will want to implement a quarantine system similar to that for TB.

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: mugs
Hah... and it turned into an illegal immigration issue.

ZOMG It's an illegal immigrant terrorist biological warfare plot! The terrorists are sneaking into the Marshall Islands where they are infecting themselves with leprosy and then coming to the US as suicide disease bearers!!


:music:

Leprosyyyy. . .
All my limbs are falling off of meeeee. . .
Now I'm not half the man I used to beeee. .
Now I believe
In leprosy.


:music:

 

[FoBoT]

i have had both, so i should be safe

 

[wheresmybacon]

Is it, just me or is the comma, placement in this article, somewhat strange?

 

[kranky]

Nine cases of leprosy... that they know of.
100 cases of TB...that they know of.

 

[jagec]

Cities to stay away from - *.AR

Fixed.

 

[Phokus]

leprosy? I thought that doesn't exist anymore, wow.