MOSCOW, October 12 (Itar-Tass) — Illegal migration brings problems related to the spread of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other social diseases to Russia, the head of the Russian consumer rights’ watchdog (Rospotrebnadzor), Gennady Onishchenko, told reporters on Wednesday.
“To a greater extent the labour migration remains illegal, which means that it has no appropriate medical control,” he said.
In Russia a newborn is vaccinated at a maternity hospital. People residing in other countries, who had not been vaccinated, can easily catch tuberculosis and become a source of infection for other citizens.
The problem of tuberculosis remains very acute in Russia’s penitentiary system. There are 800,000 Russian citizens in prisons, where the number of tuberculosis cases exceeds the average rate in Russia several times, Onishchenko said.
The chief sanitary doctor noted that insufficient control in the agricultural sector contributes to the spread of tuberculosis, as the infection can be passed from animals to people.
“At present, only several cases are registered among farm animals, but this is the result of low detection rate,” he said.
Russia registers 87 tuberculosis cases per 100,000 of population. However, there are regions, which register 120 cases per 100,000.
In general, “over the past several years the tuberculosis morbidity rate has been declining in Russia,” Onishchenko said.