Doctors around the state say a rising fervor over illegal immigration may scare illegal immigrants away from seeking health care.

In Alamance County, a recent case where medical records may have been used to prosecute a library worker who was in the country illegally has prompted many doctors to speak out about what they see as a breach of doctor-patient trust.

"Whether you're legal or illegal, it's always been assumed that your medical information is private and can't be used against you," said Dr. Christopher Snyder III of Concord, president of the N.C. Academy of Family Physicians. "The doctor-patient relationship is sacred, and I'm not sure that has really been challenged until now. We're in uncharted territory."

Snyder said that if the trend continues, infectious diseases could spread, infant mortality could rise and emergency costs could increase.

Immigrants often have a high rate of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and often do not have health insurance. (N&O) 

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr wants to know about the tuberculosis patient.

As a member of the Senate health committee, the Winston-Salem Republican is asking questions about a man with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis who crossed the Canadian border this spring, Barb Barrett reports.

Burr and Sen. Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, have requested answers from U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt about quarantines and health emergencies.

Their questions follow the case of an Atlanta-area man who traveled overseas after being diagnosed with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. The man, a U.S. citizen, eluded authorities and snuck back into the United States across the Canadian border.

"This incident highlights that gaps in the system still remain," Burr and Gregg wrote in a letter to Leavitt on Monday.

Their questions for Leavitt after the jump.

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