Karyn Gattermann: Haitian immigrants bring disease, traffic incidents to Ohio

To The Daily Sun,

While Haitian immigrants are not eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio, (the cat eating incident was in Canton, Ohio, nearby), the facts are the population of Springfield, Ohio, went from around 60,000 to around 80,000 with the influx of Haitian immigrants, an increase of 25% of the population. The governor of Ohio has sent millions of dollars in aid to Springfield and recently dispatched Ohio State Highway Patrol officers to augment the local force with the volume of traffic problems (driving without licenses, wrong way driving and a tremendous increase in accidents). The Ohio Department of Health data on tuberculosis clearly shows that overall numbers of cases in Ohio have been steadily increasing every year and that in Clark County where Springfield, Ohio, is located there were no reported cases of TB until the Haitian immigrants began arriving. This is not unexpected as higher TB rates and HIV rates among immigrant populations not only in the U.S. but also in Europe has been studied by researchers since about 2010. Check the PUBMED Website. While these facts may not be national attention grabbing headlines (we all know that most media today are tabloids masquerading as journalism), a local article from the Springfield News-Sun provides more detail on Springfield and the impact on the community. This is just one small community in our new nation of border towns.

Karyn Gattermann

New Hampton