The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced that a person detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Arizona has been infected with measles, a highly contagious virus that causes high fever and a distinctive rash.
Earlier this month, “the Arizona Department of Public Health confirmed an active measles infection in a Mexican detainee at the Florence Detention Center,” a DHS spokesperson said in an email Wednesday.
“ICE Health Services Corp. immediately instituted quarantine measures to prevent further spread and infection, halting all movement within the facility and isolating all individuals suspected of having had contact with the infected person,” the email said.
The Florence Detention Center is located in Pinal County, Arizona, and since that first case, two additional measles cases have been confirmed in the county.
“At this time, the Pinal County Public Health Department has confirmed three measles cases in the county,” spokeswoman Jasmine Castro said in an email Wednesday. “PCPHSD continues to work with state public health partners and follow standard public health protocols for confirmed cases of measles. At this time, the overall risk to the public remains low.”
The Florence Detention Center in Arizona is operated by the private company CoreCivic, which provides detainees with medical services such as screening, prevention, health education, diagnosis and treatment, company spokesman Brian Todd said in an email Wednesday.
“The health and safety of those entrusted to our care is a top priority at CoreCivic. This commitment is shared by ICE’s government partners, and we work closely with them to ensure the health of everyone in their care,” Todd said in an email.
“All detainees have the option to register for medical and mental health services on a daily basis. For medical needs that require specialized care, the facility works closely with local hospitals and medical providers to meet those needs. Emergency medical care is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
In 2016, there was an outbreak of measles in ICE detention centers. Pinal County According to some sources, this resulted in more than 30 measles cases among detainees and nine staff members. report Published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since the beginning of this year, 25 measles cases have been reported across Arizona.
The United States recorded 2,242 cases of measles nationwide last year, the largest increase in cases in any year since measles was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000.
“Based on the latest data, three of these cases are from Pinal, 17 are associated with the Mojave outbreak that we know has been ongoing since last year, three in Maricopa and one in Pima County,” Dr. Joel Telliquez, medical director of the state Office of Infectious Disease and Immunization, said at a briefing Tuesday.
Before 2025, an average of about 180 measles cases were reported each year since eradication, according to CDC data. But so far this year, at least 416 measles cases have already been confirmed in the United States.