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According to the US government's first report on epidemics in the country's overburdened immigration system, about 900 migrants detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have been affected by mumps since last September.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Thursday a total of 898 confirmed and probable cases of mumps among adult migrants in 57 facilities housing ICE detainees in 19 states since September 2018. The virus also diseased 38 staff members during this period.
LACK OF INFLUENZA FOR MIGRANTS IN CBP DETENTION CENTERS
According to the CDC report, more than 80% of mumps patients in detention centers were exposed to the virus while they were in the custody of ICE or another US agency.
ICE spokesman, Bryan Cox, told the Associated Press that health care professionals in detention centers were checking all new inmates within 24 hours of their arrival for safekeeping. to ensure that highly contagious diseases do not spread. Cox said some inmates came from countries where communicable diseases are less controlled than in the United States and carry a risk of spreading the infection.
Mumps is a contagious virus that causes swollen glands, swollen cheeks, fever, headaches and, in severe cases, hearing loss and meningitis. Critics say that US immigration officials are not doing enough to quarantine migrants and prevent the spread of infectious diseases in overcrowded detention centers.
"This has all the ingredients of a public health crisis," said Nashville immigration attorney R. Andrew Free, who spotted mumps outbreaks from reports of lawyers and attorneys representing the detainees, at the Associated Press. "ICE has been unable to ensure the health and safety of people inside these facilities."
Many of the cases recorded by the CDC have been reported in detention centers in Texas. Texas Health Services sounded the alarm in December, followed by six other health services in early January, highlighting what the CDC report calls "a coordinated national response to the epidemic". ICE has administered more than 25,000 doses of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) in affected facilities, according to The Associated Press.
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In the United States, vaccines have significantly reduced the number of mumps cases. Only a few hundred cases are reported in most years, with periodic outbreaks involving colleges or other places where people are in close contact.
The CDC report only dealt with mumps, not other health problems in detention centers. At least two migrant children died of the flu after being arrested by the US Border Patrol. Detention centers recommended by the agency follow the guidelines of state and regional health departments when responding to mumps.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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