DONNA – The Department of Homeland Security says sickness and disease are following Border Patrol agents home from work.

Agents in the Rio Grande Valley sector alone are managing over 250 migrant flu cases.

More bodies to the border mean more risk of disease for the border agents.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS spoke to the vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Chris Cabrerra

"I think one night they had 19 agents call in sick with some type of symptom or some type of illness," said Cabrerra.

He says agents come into contact with lice, scabies, pneumonia, tuberculosis, measles, mumps, the chicken pox, and endless strains of the flu, and aggressive chest colds.

Rene Perez worries about the health of her husband, who is an agent, and their three children.

She says as soon as her husband gets home, he goes straight in the shower.

"In the past, I wouldn't have thought about it. And now I'm like ‘there are all different strains of flu',” said Perez.

For more information watch the video above.