Health officials in Pinal County, Ariz. warn that mumps cases in the state have reached a 10-year high due to the unsanitary conditions found in federal detention facilities filled with illegal aliens who have contracted the disease.
According to the Arizona Republic, the "Pinal County Public Health Department said, as of Monday, they had 47 confirmed cases of mumps. All of the 47 cases were in correctional facilities and the vast majority in ICE facilities."
Experts told the newspaper that this was indicative of a larger trend amongst federal detention facilities.
"There is a national outbreak of mumps in detention facilities," Dr. Eugene Livar, chief for the bureau of epidemiology and disease control at the Arizona Department of Health Services, told the Arizona Republic. "A majority of those cases have been in Texas, but they have been seen in several states across the nation."
There are currently 292 detainees quarantined in Arizona after being exposed to those who have the mumps. This information comes just weeks after a government watchdog revealed one federal detention center at 720% capacity. For example, the watchdog found 'a cell with a maximum capacity of 35 held 155 detainees,' the report notes. And, the watchdog group also noted that "CBP was struggling to maintain hygienic conditions in the holding cells. With limited access to showers and clean clothing, detainees were wearing soiled clothing for days or weeks."
Earlier this spring, Beth reported that ICE at the time had more than 2,000 individuals who were quarantined due to some sort of contagious disease.
"As of March 7, 2019, there was a total of 2,287 detainees cohorted for exposure to a detainee with a contagious condition," ICE spokesperson Brendan Raedy said in a statement at the time. "ICE takes very seriously the health, safety and welfare of those in our care. ICE is committed to ensuring the welfare of all those in the agency's custody, including providing access to necessary and appropriate medical care."
ICE spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe told the Arizona Republic that the aforementioned affected Arizona detention centers do not hold any children, just adults.