From the Texas Tribune:
At least 147 measles have been reported in Texas this year. The vast majority of them are in federal detention facilities, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, which released latest figures on Thursday.
The largest outbreak is in a single contracted federal detention facility in Hudspeth County, as of March 18, according to DSHS. Hudspeth County Judge Joanna MacKenzie told The Texas Tribune that the 108 cases are all at the West Texas Detention Facility, which is managed by LaSalle Corrections, a private company. The facility has previously housed immigrant detainees, though it's not clear if it still does. It does not appear on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's list of detention facilities.
"Not having jurisdiction, my office is not involved in response," MacKenzie added in a statement, "however I remain in communication with DSHS and LaSalle, as I regularly do."
LaSalle Corrections spokesperson Scott Sutterfield has previously confirmed 99 measles cases, while saying that the facility does not hold ICE detainees.
"Our medical staff conducts regular health screenings, and we provide immediate isolation and treatment for any suspected cases," Sutterfield said in a statement. "We also work closely with public health authorities to ensure strict adherence to CDC guidelines. Our goal is to create a safe environment while ensuring the well-being of everyone in the facility."
Anton also said two measles cases have been reported in a Frio County detention facility in South Texas. In late January, the federal government confirmed two cases at the South Texas Family Residential Center, the country's only ICE facility holding children and their parents, in Dilley.
In addition, there were another 17 cases in detention facilities in El Paso County as of Thursday. El Paso city officials have previously said one of the cases is in the county jail while 14 cases were at Camp East Montana, the nation's largest immigration detention facility. DSHS has not said where the other two cases are located.
Anton has previously declined to provide further details about any of the cases in detention facilities, referring questions to the Department of Homeland Security instead.
A federal agency official said in an emailed statement that there were no active measles cases at Camp East Montana as of March 17, while redirecting the Tribune back to the DSHS for information on all the other cases in Texas.
Measles — which is particularly dangerous to unvaccinated children, pregnant women and immunocompromised adults — is highly contagious and has a long incubation period. Infectious disease experts stress that investigations are important to determine how the infections happened and how to stop the spread.
Unlike last year's historic measles outbreak, state officials have not been providing detailed information on how it is responding to the current cases, including on contact tracing, vaccine response or providing demographic information on infected individuals and the number of hospitalizations. Another DSHS spokesperson, Chris Van Deusen, previously told the Tribune that the "state's role inside federal facilities is very limited."
Beyond measles, two cases of tuberculosis and 18 cases of COVID-19 were also detected at the troubled El Paso tent camp in early February. Advocates and lawmakers have called for its closure, calling inadequate medical care one of their biggest concerns.
DHS, however, has continued to defend itself when contacted by the Tribune over these concerns.
"ICE provides comprehensive medical care, including access to vaccines, medical, dental, and mental health services, as well as medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care," the agency said. "This is the best healthcare than many aliens have received in their entire lives."
Besides the 127 cases officials have confirmed inside detention facilities, another 20 cases have been reported in El Paso, Bexar, Bandera, Kendall, Lubbock and Rockwall counties, according to DSHS. Those people became infected from international travel, domestic travel, or they contracted it in the community, the state health agency said. It's not clear whether those who contracted measles due the latter two reasons were because they were in contact with anyone inside the detention facilities.
Anton didn't immediately respond to the Tribune's question on this issue.
An El Paso spokesperson previously told the Tribune that the community cases and the infections in the ICE facility are not connected, but didn't provide more information to explain the contact tracing.
It's also not clear whether DHS has conducted an investigation in response to measles cases at any of the ICE facilities, as the department has not responded to repeated questions the Tribune previously sent. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson also directed questions to DHS, when contacted by the Tribune over the infections at Camp East Montana.
At 147 cases, Texas is among states with the highest number of reported measles cases this year, behind South Carolina which has had 664 cases so far this year and Utah which has had 231 cases. Outbreaks in those states have been ongoing since last year.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
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