News

5th February 2003

John Bowis MEP: Government must screen asylum seekers for diseases

John Bowis - Conservative Member of the European Parliament for London and a former Health Minister has this week challenged the Government to introduce urgently needed new measures to screen asylum seekers for possible disease in the interest of public health.

Speaking from Brussels John Bowis said, “The numbers of HIV, TB and Hepatitis B-infected asylum seekers, workers from overseas and immigrants are so great that the British Government must investigate and implement the systems currently in place in Australia, Canada and the United States, where aspiring immigrants are screened for the diseases. Government figures show that more than 2,000 HIV infections were imported last year, while 95% of Hepatitis B infections in the UK are imported.”

John Bowis continued, "Those claiming asylum must be screened for links to terrorism, but it is clear that there is also a health risk unless they are screened for diseases as well. I urge the Government to urgently undertake investigations into systems to bring us into line with other countries. This is a humanitarian issue. Not only must we continue to fight these diseases in Africa and East Asia, but we must protect British people as well.”

“A study in East London has shown that 1 in 50 people are infected with Hepatitis B, more than in Nepal. The doubling of the cases of HIV in the UK and a new high in the number of cases of TB, should lead the British Government to wake up to this problem before it is too late. Sadly, it has presided over a doubling of imported diseases."