Flu shots for migrants: CBP all but certain to say ‘no’

CNN — A group of physicians has volunteered to vaccinate migrants against the flu for free, but US Customs and Border Protection is all but certain to say no to the offer. “But we’re not going to give up that easily and will continue to request access.” The group, which formed about three months ago and has about 2,000 physician members, outlined a plan to first vaccinate 100 migrants, and then expand to vaccinate the majority of migrants. “We have an early and very active influenza season already in the United States, and given the history of influenza and the illness and deaths caused by influenza last year, I’d think CBP would do everything it can to provide protection against influenza as quickly as possible,” said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. “I would have thought that CBP would have addressed this over the summer and we would now have a system in place,” said Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. When migrants leave CBP custody, they often go into the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services and ICE, both of which “have comprehensive medical support services and can provide vaccinations as appropriate to those in their custody,” according to the CBP statement.