Story out of Arizona:
Health officials in Arizona say the largest current measles outbreak in the United States is in part because some workers at a federal immigration detention center refuse to get vaccinated.
Authorities have confirmed 22 measles cases in Arizona since late May. They all stem from the Eloy detention center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility managed by the private Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).
Pinal County health director Thomas Schryer said the outbreak probably began with a migrant but that detainees have since been vaccinated. Convincing employees to get vaccinated or show proof of immunity has proven much tougher, he said.
The facility includes about 350 CCA employees and an unknown number of ICE staffers, although Schryer estimates it’s about 100. ICE doesn’t publicly release staffing levels, nor does it require employees to be immunized. There are currently more than 1,200 detainees being held at the facility.
Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, an ICE spokeswoman, said the agency was working closely with health officials to monitor detainees and employees and that it instituted several measures to prevent the disease from spreading more, including providing immunizations, referring staffers to nearby clinics, handing out flyers and pamphlets on the dangers of measles and providing masks and gloves.
Officials last year said a measles outbreak that sprouted at Disneyland in California and spread to several other states was largely fueled by parents refusing to vaccinate children. Cont.
Story from - The Guardian
Image from - YouTube
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