New Health Hazzards.

The Prime Minister seems more concerned with making a 'warm and fuzzy' gesture than he is about causing potential health and other hazards to Canadians.  Instead of carrying out appropriate health and security investigations of the twenty-five thousand refugees before admitting them to Canada, he is determined to ignore the inherent risks in the situation  and to "meet his deadlines", regardless of the consequences.  Apart from the obvious security issues, which he must be well aware of, there are health issues of which he is apparently ignorant.   Before going into the specific issues, let me point out the state of the Canadian Health Care system, using a report that the Department of Health has quoted itself: 

"With regards to international comparison, the 2014 Commonwealth Fund report on the health system performance of 11 countries ranked Canada 10th overall, indicated particularly low scores in quality, safety, access, timeliness, efficiency and equity.17 "
17
Commonwealth Fund, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: How the Performance of the US Health Care System Compares
Internationally, 2014 Update.

Note the broad range of care in which we are at the bottom of the heap.  The much vaunted health care system of which we were once so justly proud is now near the bottom of the heap in the most developed countries.  Canadians are frequently awaiting appointments for periods that much exceed the bounds of safety.  We should be ashamed of ourselves and trying to  upgrade.  Instead the Province of Ontario is cutting services and doctors salaries quite shamelessly.   An additional twenty-five thousand refugees may not seem much of an additional burden until one realizes that these folks have not had the prophylactic care and immunizations that Canadians take for granted and there is a very real possibility of introducing  diseases that are entirely foreign to our population.   Apart from measles and polio and other vacccine preventable diseases that have almost been wiped out in our country (though the anti-vaxxers are doing their best to undermine their total eradication), there are diseases which Canadians have never even heard of.  We have no idea of the diseases that may be carried into Canada until the refugees are adequately screened.  Let's look at a few:                1. Middle East respiratory syndrome MERS-coV.  A virus infection with a high mortality rate.  This is a new virus which we still know little about, but it looks dangerous, spreads from person to person and is associated with considerable mortality.

2.Malaria.  Although not as prevalent as at one time malaria is still a risk and is becoming increasingly resistant to the anti-malarial medications.

3. Leishmaniasis.  A parasite that effects animals and humans and is not rare in Syria.

4.Dengue fever.  A mosquito transmitted fever that can deteriorate into the often fatal Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever.

5.Vaccination deficiency.      Diseases almost wiped out in Canada by widespread vaccination will be re-introduced by a population that is frequently unvaccinated.  Further, the irresponsible and ignorant attitude of the growing anti-vaccination population is resulting in a waning of the herd immunity that we enjoy.  Expect to see measles and other childhood diseases popping up, including some like polio and TB. 

   I am concerned that Canadians in need of health care, who often are put at risk by having to wait unacceptably long times to obtain the care that they need, may find that their much loved  health system is growing ever more tardy and  falling below first world standards.

And don't think a few Jihadi sleepers won't be among the immigrants.