Louisiana Immigration Center among the victims of the mumps epidemic; 2200 in quarantine

PHOENIX (AP) – US immigration authorities said more than 2,200 people exposed to an outbreak of mumps in at least two detention centers had been quarantined.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday that the 25-day quarantine began on March 7 in facilities in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, and Aurora, Colorado.

A spokesman said that 236 inmates had confirmed or probable cases of mumps in 51 facilities during the past year. No cases were reported between 2016 and 2018 in ICE facilities.

Mumps is extremely rare and infections have decreased by 99% since vaccinations began in the late 1960s. It can spread quickly by coughing, sneezing or even talking.

A measles outbreak in an immigration detention center in Eloy, Arizona, in 2016, contributed to the statewide epidemic when several employees refused to be vaccinated.