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ID organizations voice concern over impact of immigration ban on physicians, ID care
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The Infectious Diseases Society of America and HIV Medicine Association have issued separate statements expressing concern over President Donald J. Trump’s recent executive order banning immigrant and refugee travel to the United States, which they say could impact international research collaborations and the country’s medical workforce.
The executive order, signed on Jan. 27, prohibited people from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the U.S. as immigrants and nonimmigrants for 90 days. It also suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days and the Visa Interview Waiver Program for an undisclosed amount of time.
A federal judge in Seattle overturned the executive order on Friday, temporarily suspending the travel restrictions after determining that certain provisions of the order “are contrary to the Constitution and laws of the United States.” A statement from the White House press secretary, however, said that the Department of Justice will attempt to defend and reinstate the order. Although its purpose is to “protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States,” Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) President William G. Powderly, MD, FIDSA, told Infectious Disease News that the order limits the exchange of knowledge and expertise in the medical field, which is “not in the best interest of the United States.”
“Based on what we have seen over the last decades in terms of new infections, we should be considering the threat of infection as part of national security,” he said “Thinking about it in that context, this particular executive decision actually could have a detrimental effect.”
The HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) is advocating for a comprehensive review of all the public health risks potentially caused by the executive order, which “has far-reaching effects that are unanticipated and under-recolonized,” Wendy Armstrong, MD, FIDSA, professor of medicine at Emory University and chair of HIVMA, said in a statement.
“As is clear from recent epidemics whether caused by HIV, Ebola virus disease, Zika virus or others, infectious diseases know no boundaries; walls whether structural or a result of policy cannot keep our citizens out of harm’s way,” she said. “Our concern is not about protecting Americans alone, but because of the importance of working toward global health, to aid those who are most vulnerable among us and to respect not only diversity within our own health care and scientific workforce, but in those for whom we care as well.”
Armstrong further noted that the ban would add to challenges already recognized in the infectious disease (ID) and HIV care workforce, which is estimated to fall “critically short” of the number of specialists needed in the next 5 years.
According to a separate statement from IDSA, about one third of physicians entering the field of ID over the past decade are from countries outside of the U.S., including those affected by the order.
“These ID physicians contribute to America’s robust ID patient care, public health efforts and biomedical research and innovation,” the statement said. “IDSA and [HIVMA] have already heard reports from members who fear they will be unable to re-enter the U.S. after visiting family in their countries of origin, despite having valid visas, and these concerns will likely spill over to international travel essential to their work.”
IDSA underscored the importance of travel and attendance at international conferences, including those held in the U.S., to scientific advancements. It is through international collaborations, Armstrong said, that led to the “remarkable progress” made in the development of effective HIV treatments.
“While this was a global partnership, many seminal advances were made in the U.S. by first- and second-generation immigrants benefitting from the academic institutions and scientific and public health infrastructure in the U.S.,” she said. “Without this diverse melting pot of intellect, we may not have seen the advent of combination therapy, the development of many new antiretroviral drugs, or the advances in understanding viral pathogenesis and countless other discoveries that have led to advances in health in many diseases.” – by Stephanie Viguers
Disclosures: Powderly reports no relevant financial disclosures. Infectious Disease News was unable to confirm Armstrong’s relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.