For over 16 years, I have flown throughout the US to get the best medical care for myself and my kids and plan to continue doing so. Health is a top priority to me and my family. I will spend on health before buying a new car or other item.
I would be extremely frightened of I thought I was carrying a baby likely to be affected by Zika and do all I could to get him/her the best possible care, including flying to relatives in the US.
I dont think she or the baby will stay here, but I would be surprised if she has the money to afford the hospital bill that is coming. Heck, with insurance, hospital bills are making a huge dent in our budget this year.
I had hoped that the Zika microcephaly problems were caused by the toxins in the water in that region of Brazil. Too bad. This is going to be a big problem, not just because people will seek out treatment here but because it is inevitable that those mosquitos will get here and start biting. They’re just too close.
We need some action.
Between the Zika phenomenon and other serious mosquito-borne illnesses, plus the surge throughout the US of the tiger mosquito, which is a ferocious biter and, unlike other species, tolerates northern winters, I don’t understand why there isn’t a concerted worldwide effort to wipe out the mosquito population in its entirety. I haven’t read one thing about mosquitoes having a any positive effect on the environment or symbiotic relationship with any other more valued species, so why aren’t we treating them as a serious human health menace that needs to be exterminated? As one of those people who is tormented by mosquitoes (I like to say if you invite me to your barbecue, I’ll keep them off all the other guests), I’m at the point where I’m actually getting frightened.
Mosquitos are the biggest killer of humans historically, even more than plague carrying fleas. Where I live there is a “mosquito control” department of the local government but we all need more.
Of course, they ARE part of the food chain, being eaten by bats, birds, dragonflies, etc.
This article discusses potential effects of genociding mosquitoes.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35408835
Well, it didn’t take long for this thread to turn into immigrant/foreigner bashing. Sigh.
And what is that like, care befitting any other American citizen? Don’t we have hungry kids in the US whose only meal is provided by school? How befitting is that?
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Live it or remove it from the statue.
What statue? 
Statue of Liberty which honors our welcome and hospitality to the hurting people of the world looking for new beginnings.
New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
“Since Lazarus’ poem was mounted on a plaque, it is not actually inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. The only Statue of Liberty inscription can be found on the tablet in her left hand, which says JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776), the day the United States adopted the Declaration of Independence.”
It is a plaque on the base of the statue. The sonnet was written as a fundraiser to build the base.
This woman didn’t come here to find work and become a productive citizen. She came here to get the US healthcare. I don’t think that was the spirit of the Lazarus poem http://pix11.com/2016/06/01/mom-with-zika-virus-flew-to-us-from-honduras-to-give-birth-doctors/
If she and the baby aren’t going to stay here, then very likely she’s going to leave any bills behind…and out of reach for the hospital to collect much/anything.
It never occurred to me until it was posted that this child will now be an American citizen.
I do think this is a concern for the United States if this becomes a common occurrence. I do not think it makes you a horrible,selfish person to consider this as a potential problem. It is a large scale policy issue.
This virus scares the heck out of me. I seriously would consider relocating to an area when pregnant where there is very little chance of this.I would fund my pregnant kid in a heartbeat to move.
And of course, anyone with the ability to do so would do anything possible to get the best care for their children. I do not begrudge anyone anywhere in the world for this.
but we don’t have to make these kids American Citizens.
^^^If they are born here we do.
That’s my point. Nrdsb4. It might be time for a policy change. These kids will be on Medicaid/or SS disability for the rest of their lives paid for by the US tax system.
…and, again, if I had the means I would do this in a heartbeat if it was my family.
Isn’t it a matter of constitutional law rather than “policy”? Wouldn’t it take an amendment to the Constitution?