http://www.baytownsun.com/texasstory.lasso?ewcd=a2b3452a8cb0bf63(Alton,Texas) Cantu this week joined other schools around the country in using telemedicine, a television and Internet hookup that allows doctors to see patients from afar. At Cantu, Houston doctors look down throats, listen to heartbeats and diagnose skin infections. Officials and parents are hoping new equipment can help combat the numerous illnesses among children in the 2,300 or so "colonias" that dot the Texas-Mexico border.
Colonias _ the Spanish word for neighborhoods _ are unplanned immigrant communities that sprouted in the 1980s. Many areas lack plumbing, electricity, drainage and paved roads. Authorities have tried to improve conditions and prevent new colonias, but they've continued to grow. Officials estimate 500,000 people live in colonias.
The border has some of the highest rates of diabetes in the nation, she said. Children end up with parasitic infectious diseases not seen elsewhere in the United States. Poor dental health leads to a host of other problems. And obesity is a growing concern.
"The parents come home with fertilizers and pesticides on clothes, the rest of the family, they're exposed to it," she said. "So they all end up with some type of dermatitis. We've had 11- or 12-year-olds who've never had a toothbrush."
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