CONTAGIOUS

ICE Quarantines 5,200 Immigrants Due to Mumps, Chickenpox Exposure

ICE has recorded 297 cases of the mumps in its facilities since the disease first appeared in September.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has quarantined 5,200 adult immigrants after they were exposed to mumps or chickenpox, CNN reported Friday. Around 4,200 of the cases are reportedly from mumps exposure, 800 from chickenpox, and 100 from both diseases. ICE has reported instances of the diseases at 39 detention centers nationwide, and there have been 297 confirmed mumps cases since Sept. 2018.

The number of those quarantined for exposure to diseases are on the rise from earlier this year, with ICE recording 2,287 such detainees in March. ICE executive associate director for enforcement and removal operations Nathalie Asher told CNN there is a “heightened interest” in the outbreaks due to the newness of mumps in the facilities, but she said ICE has “demonstrated success” in preventing the spread of communicable diseases. ICE first reported mumps cases last September.