- Title: Chicken pox outbreak forces migrant shelter to shutter in northern Mexico
- Date: 28th December 2019
- Summary: CIUDAD JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO (DECEMBER 27, 2019) (REUTERS) CHILDREN PLAYING OUTSIDE SHELTER WHICH WAS TEMPORARILY CLOSED MIGRANTS GATHERED TOGETHER SHELTER EXTERIOR VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS PRAYING CLOSE TO SHELTER / WOMEN CRYING MIGRANTS CRYING VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS CRYING / PRAYING MIGRANTS WITH MOUTH COVER HOLDING CHILD LOOKING UP AT SKY (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUAN CARLOS LOERA, REPRESENTATIVE OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS COORDINATED BY STATE OF CHIHUAHUA, SAYING: ''We have suspended the entry of new migrants, migrants who are returned by the United States due to the chickenpox outbreak we have at the shelter. Once controlled, more will be able to enter. Right now, they are being helped by religious organisations such as the ''Casa del Migrante'' (The House of the Migrant) and others to receive those being sent back.'' WOMAN CRYING WHILE BEING HUGGED BY MAN WOMAN CRYING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUAN CARLOS LOERA, REPRESENTATIVE OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS COORDINATED BY STATE OF CHIHUAHUA, SAYING: ''We can't isolate them completely because they are families, so there are children who are two, three, four years-of-age who have chickenpox so we have an area, especially assigned to children who already have chickenpox and they are receiving proper medical attention, with all the necessary care.'' VARIOUS OF RELATIVES OUTSIDE SHELTER
- Embargoed: 11th January 2020 03:29
- Keywords: Mexico United States chicken pox contagious virus outbreak shelter housing Central American migrants temporary closure
- Location: CIUDAD JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
- City: CIUDAD JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001BBW37EV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: An outbreak of chicken pox has forced the temporary closure of a shelter housing Central American migrants sent to Mexico from the United States, Mexican authorities said on Friday (December 27), as officials sought to contain the highly contagious virus.
The shelter in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, closed on Thursday after 72 people, including 69 children, were diagnosed with the virus, officials in Mexico's Chihuahua state said in a statement.
Most people infected with chicken pox simply feel unwell - with symptoms including an itchy, blister-like rash, fever, headache and fatigue - but some develop serious complications.
The Ciudad Juarez facility, which houses nearly 800 people awaiting court dates in the United States, is part of a network of shelters in Mexico that the Trump administration has used to enforce its policy of sending mostly Central American migrants south of the border while their asylum cases are pending.
The shelter, which is run by Mexico's federal government, did not respond to a request for comment.
A federal official said the virus was spread by a Honduran girl returned to Mexico by the U.S. government under Washington's Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) policy, Mexico's El Diario newspaper reported.
Health officials in Chihuahua said the virus has been contained and fewer than 50 people remain ill. Many migrants are being vaccinated, particularly vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses.
The chicken pox outbreak is the biggest such incident in Ciudad Juarez since this year's introduction of MPP, also known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy.
Disease outbreaks such as mumps, measles and chicken pox have also occurred in migrant detention facilities in the United States.
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