Its just one more instance where an active public health program would more than pay for itself. Foreign nationals do not get health care here other than on an emergency basis. People from Mexico and elsewhere who have TB do not receive treatment for the disease, increasing the probability that TB will spread among other population groups. I think its called being penny wise and dollar foolish.
As for measles and chicken pox: My Mom grew up in the 20's and 30's in an isolated region of the mountains. There were no vaccines against the major childhood diseases no matter where you lived, anyhow. My Mom caught an especially bad case of the measles which attacked her inner ear. From the age of 8 on, she was partially deaf, and her deafness became worse with each passing year. Not being able to hear has effected her entire life in a very adverse way. I'd get my kids a measles immunization in a heartbeat just based on that one experience.
I think people need to study what happend when there were massive outbreaks of communicable diseases in the last century and before. Flu, TB, smallpox, polio, etc., etc took a horrible toll. Certainly, we should be aware of the possible side effects of various types of immunizations, but we should hardly be throwing our babies out with the culture bath, as a result.
