Mumtaz: So you know about immigrants and health, right?

Mum: Not sure what you mean….

Mumtaz: Well, my Dad says when he first came here, people said Pakistanis brought diseases and that…

Mum: Oh yes, they accused us black people of that too!

Mumtaz: So what’s the story now? Do immigrants these days cause extra problems for the health service?

Mum: What, you mean are they less healthy than people already here?

Mumtaz: Yeah.

Mum: It’s too complicated to just say yes or no…

Dani: Yeah, Taz always asks questions like that….

Mum: Immigrants are almost always more healthy, because they tend to be younger than the original population.

Anand: How come?

Mum: Because most immigrants come to work, so they’re usually in their 20s or 30s, not kids, and not retired. see the young woman at the counter? That's Eva, she's Czech.

Mumtaz: So people in their 20s and 30s are more healthy?

Mum: They use hospitals and doctors less than children, and less than older people.

Grace: So actually, as well as some of us coming to work in the health service, we don’t have that many health needs. It really makes me mad when people say we are taking things away from British people….

Mumtaz: But don’t some immigrants come from poorer countries, where there’s fewer doctors and that, so they might be less healthy than British people of the same age?

Mum: As usual Mumtaz, you’re not satisfied with a quick answer are you?!

Mumtaz: Well, no. A quick answer's no use is it? My Dad had to live for years with people saying immigrants cause disease – you did too. I want to be able to answer people who say things like that.

Mum: Ok, well, sure, some immigrants come from poorer countries, though it’s usually better off people who are reasonably healthy who get the chance to leave. It’s more likely that an immigrant from Africa would have malaria, for instance and that would need treating. But you can’t catch malaria from another person, so they wouldn’t be spreading it.

Anand: What about AIDS?

Mum: Yeah, in some countries 20% of the population are HIV positive, so sure, immigrants from those countries are more likely to have it than the average British person…..

Mumtaz: And they could spread that….

Mum: Yes….

Dani: Why don’t they make all immigrants have HIV tests before they can come in?

Mum: Yeah, lots of countries do that, some people think it’s a good idea.

Grace: It a complicated disease though. People have to feel safe to say they’ve got it. If they think they’ll be deported or locked up, they won’t go for medical help. That could spread the disease more….

Mum: Anyway, it’s not true that most immigrants are more dangerous, disease wise, so I have a feeling that politicians who go on about health checks are just trying to make their prejudices seem respectable.

Dani: What do you mean Mum?

Mum: I think maybe they just don’t like immigrants, and they’re trying to find excuses to keep them out, or make the rest of us scared of them….