Once again, Gov. LePage is trying to link a rise in infectious diseases to immigration (June 10), showing he is more interested in race-baiting and dividing Mainers than in protecting public health.

Hepatitis B and C rates in Maine and nationwide have been rising because of the heroin epidemic – not because of immigration – and regional and statewide statistics confirm this.

The Portland Needle Exchange Program screens clients for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. In 2013, 348 clients tested positive for hepatitis C. In 2015, that number rose to 393, representing 20 percent of all clients screened there.

Statewide, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention collects data on new hepatitis B infections. In 2014, 42 percent of Maine’s new hepatitis B cases occurred in Kennebec County. Most occurred in men (average age 39).

This uptick in hepatitis B is troubling because hepatitis B rarely causes symptoms, so reported cases represent the small percentage of cases that required medical attention.

Given the growing threat of bloodborne diseases, stemming from drug use in Maine, here are the questions LePage should be asking:

– Why aren’t more Mainers protected against hepatitis B, considering there is a safe and effective vaccine available?

– In rural areas where heroin addiction is growing, should Maine be immunizing adults who may have missed the childhood hepatitis B vaccine?

– How can we expand needle exchange programs into rural areas to stop the spread of diseases?

– How can we get more people into recovery so they’re not at risk of bloodborne infections?

– How can we better protect all Mainers through immunization and education about safe sex and safe injection practices?

Christine Kukka

Scarborough

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