In early June, 1000 immigrants were moved to Victorville Federal Correctional Complex, which is near Los Angeles (90 miles NE). Detainees have been diagnosed with chickenpox, tuberculosis, and scabies — all contagious diseases. The Bureau of Prisons is supposed to be a short term detention center for detained immigrants — while ICE contracts for new detention facilities. www.cnn.com/...
John Kostelnik, president of the union representing the prison's workers, said the California facility is understaffed and the arrival of the ICE detainees two weeks ago has made things worse.
"It's causing a lot of chaos, a lot of confusion and quite frankly that confusion can lead to someone being killed or something else going wrong," Kostelnik said.
There's not enough doctors to accommodate all the detainees. Other detainees have been diagnosed with scabies and some have tested positive for tuberculosis, Kostelnik said.
Ill-prepared for 1000 immigrants dumped into their facility. Unable to to do apppropriate screening. thehill.com/...
Kostelnik called the facility’s processing of inmates "extremely sloppy” and said he fears for their health, adding that a few other detainees have contracted scabies.
There are fears for the health of the prison guards at Victorville as well. ICE says it’s under control. The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health states it has not been notified of chickenpox at the facility. www.nbcnews.com/...
Chickenpox (varicella) is on the Centers for Disease Control list of reportable diseases.
The immigrant children abruptly separated from their parents probably did not get medical screening and treatment either.
In New York City, some of the migrant children recently separated from their parents were also diagnosed with chickenpox and other contagious diseases, Mayor Bill de Blasio had said.
Trump and administration have been grossly negligent in medical screening and treatment of recent immigrants. Combined with the crowded, inhumane conditions, this puts the immigrants at a higher risk of illness. Sending the children around the US without screening for disease has placed US citizens’ health at risk as well.
Chickenpox has become more rare since so many children have been vaccinated for it. The vaccine first became available in 1995.
For adults who get chickenpox, there can be more serious complications like pneumonia.
Any illness can be dangerous for a person with a compromised immune system or other chronic illness. The children were on commercial airline flights.
This is my rant as a former public health and communicable disease nurse. I am furious that in the haste and deliberate intention to separate children from families, the entire country has been put at risk due to negligence. This is how communicable diseases spread and epidemics occur.
However, this is not a new issue. In 2014, immigrant detainees had chickenpox, which workers contracted and took home to their children. There was an outbreak of chickenpox at a federal facility in Artesia, NMX that was put under quarantine.
We can treat immigrant detainees and all Americans humanely.