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And they would like to help him understand what the government could improve so that more children do not die.
Asked Friday about the recent death of two migrant children detained in the United States, Sanders told reporters that it was an "absolutely tragic situation" and that "we are doing all that is in our power to ensure that they are taken care of so that we do not have those kinds of instances. "
But doctors say the government must take action before that Sanders can really say that the leaders are doing "everything in our power" to ensure that the children do not die.
"In her mind, she may think that they are doing everything possible, but we can tell you that you are not doing everything," said Dr. Colleen Kraft, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "Look at the facts.The record shows us that there is still a lot to do."
Dr. Buddy Creech, a specialist in infectious diseases in children, said the authorities needed to conduct a thorough review of child deaths before declaring that everything was being done to prevent more deaths.
"In hospitals, when someone has a tragic event, a near-accident, a drug-related mistake, we do not lead with" we are doing everything we can. " is ideal to lead with "be open to self-criticism to make sure we take care of people who ask us for help," said Creech, associate professor of pediatrics at the Canadian Medical Center. University of Vanderbilt. [19659002] "The real tragedy would be that we do everything we can when we are not," he added.
Internal reviews of child deaths are underway within the US Department of Homeland Security.
Doctors say the government could do better, here are three things:
Sort more effectively children
In recent years, the United States has seen a large number of of children across the border.
Prior to 2013, approximately 90% of the migrants apprehended at the border were adult men. By contrast, last month, 59 percent of apprehended migrants were unaccompanied families or minors, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
This means approximately 1,400 to 1,500 unaccompanied minors or family members. are apprehended every day, according to the agency.
"This has created tremendous pressure on our resources as we tackle the problem of managing a large number of children," said Andrew Meehan, Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs of the Department of Customs and Border Protection of the United States.
Increased number of apprehended migrants who are sick, Homeland Security officials said, at a briefing last week. They said border agents carried dozens of apprehended migrants every day to hospitals.
Taking care of children – especially of so many children – requires special training and skills, said Kraft, chairman of the pediatricians group.
"Children are not just small adults, they have their own physiology," said Kraft.
For example, she points out that children, far more than adults, may look good, but actually be quite sick.
"A child can run and play while his little system collapses," she said. "When they sort these kids and they do not have that pediatric surveillance or expertise, they're going to miss children who do not look like the disease when they really are."
Kraft said it was pleased that on Wednesday, Customs and Border Commissioner Kevin McAleenan approached her to ask her if the American Academy of Pediatrics could commit to giving advice to take care of children. The details of this involvement have not been defined.
In January and again in March, Kraft wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, to offer help from the pediatric group. She stated that she did not receive a reply to any letter.
After the deaths of these children, Homeland Security implemented a number of changes.
Children will receive a "deeper practical assessment" as soon as possible after their death. apprehended and 16 Public Health Corps officers were deployed to conduct medical screenings.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will examine the causes of migrant diseases and assess the risk of influenza at the border. The CDC is also sending two small teams to the field to suggest solutions for respiratory disease surveillance in Customs shelters and border protection in certain areas. Based on this monitoring, the CDC will evaluate the feasibility of using antivirals and influenza vaccines.
Consider Removing Febrile Children in Detention
On Christmas Eve, Felipe Gómez, an 8-year-old Guatemalan migrant named Alonzo, died in the care of Customs and Border Protection.
] Noting that schools and daycares generally do not allow children up to 24 hours without fever, CNN doctors wondered why Felipe would be so quickly returned to an institution where he could potentially infect other inmates and staff members.
When questioned at the press conference about the return of the feverish child in an institution, a homeland security official declined to comment, claiming that "an internal investigation is under way regarding the decisions and other factors at the origin of this situation ".
Creech, a specialist in infectious diseases, added that serious consideration should be given to locating a migrant child who was discharged from hospital after a fever, especially if customs and border protection services were not equipped to properly isolate a sick child. .
"I accept the fact that there is no obvious answer to this problem, but that does not diminish its importance," he said.
Defender of children detained by the government
On December 24, a border protection officer noticed that Felipe had "possible flu symptoms", according to the story of his illness by the # 39; agency. He was taken to a hospital in New Mexico where he was diagnosed with a cold and was discharged.
He died seven hours later.
An autopsy revealed that the only one was a doctor. interested was right: Felipe tested positive for the flu, which usually kills dozens of American children each year.
It appears from the agency's account of the care of the child that he was not tested for influenza at the hospital.
When asked at the press conference whether customs officials and border protection had questioned some aspects of Felipe's care at the hospital, a security officer Inland responded that "this was not the intention or the place of border patrol officers with the child and father in the hospital to guess the care of the caregivers medical ".
Although the physicians interviewed for this story do not say that officers should have guessed their doctors, they indicated that Customs and Border Protection, which employs health professionals, could have asked questions on his care, just as parents are encouraged to do when their children are sick.
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine in Vanderbilt, said it would have been reasonable to ask questions about a flu test since it was flu season and that's it. an officer had observed that the boy had possible symptoms of the flu.
"There are two reasons to ask" Are you sure that he does not have the flu? "One concerns the health of the boy, the other because you want to know:" Do I bring a stuck child back to this facility where he could pass it on to others? "" he said.
"He was in the custody of the Customs and Border Patrol, replacing the mother in loco parentis," Schaffner added, using the legal term for a person serving in the place of a parent. "I do not expect border patrol officers to be health professionals, but this whole process leaves a lot of questions."
Dr. Irwin Redlener, pediatrician and professor of health policy and management at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, agrees.
"The government has taken custody of these children, and they must take responsibility, you can not take one without responsibility," he added.
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