Thread: Unvaccinated Migrants Fuel Dramatic Spike in Chickenpox Cases in Chicago

Unvaccinated Migrants Fuel Dramatic Spike in Chickenpox Cases in Chicago



Story by Andrew Stanton • 4h

December 15, 2023










A migrant father from Venezuela feeds his 15-month-old son in a police station in Chicago, Illinois on May 9, 2023. Chicago has experienced a surge in chickenpox cases as it continues grappling with an influx in migrants bused from Texas.© Scott Olson/Getty Images



Unvaccinated migrants are fueling a surge in chickenpox cases in Chicago, local health officials said Thursday.

Nearly 400 cases of chickenpox in Chicago have been identified so far this year, with the past four weeks specifically marking an increase in cases, according to a health alert released by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). From 2005 to 2022, the city averaged 53 cases of chickenpox per year, local television station WLS-TV reported.

The rise in chickenpox cases come as city officials across the country grapple with an influx of migrants.

Migrants have been bused to several major cities as crossings remain high at the U.S.-Mexico border, but many officials say they lack the resources to cope with the increase. In Chicago, more than 25,000 migrants have arrived since August 31, 2022, according to city data.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and leads to an itchy rash with small, fluid-filled blisters. It is often mild and non-life-threatening, but can become serious and lead to other health problems such as infected skin, dehydration, pneumonia or the swelling of the brain. It can also lead to death in rare cases.

The illness spreads easily to individuals who have not received the vaccine or previously been infected, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, most Americans have received the vaccine, resulting in a decline in cases since its introduction in 1995.

A spokesperson for the CDPH told Newsweek on Friday that their team is working to provide infection control guidance to shelters.

"The Chicago Department of Public Health has a team dedicated to detecting and responding to reportable communicable diseases in shelters and other congregate settings. Cases of varicella have been reported in new arrivals, and in response the team has consulted with shelter managers and other facilities to provide infection control guidance," the statement said.

Most Chicagoans are not at risk of infection due to the high vaccination rate against the illness and others including measles, mumps, rubella, polio, according to the health alert.

In schools, the CDPH said it will provide a letter to parents or guardians whose children have come into contact with an infected individual, assist in reviewing vaccination records of close contacts, determine if any close contacts need to stay home from school and provide advice to immunocompromised students or staff exposed to the illness, according to the alert.

Texas has sent migrants to various "sanctuary cities" by bus since August 2022, a move critics say is playing politics with migrants and meant to overwhelm cities and states with more lenient policies surrounding immigration. Texas officials, however, say border communities struggle to contend with the rise in migration in recent years.

There were more than 2.4 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2023 fiscal year, up from roughly 1.7 million in 2021, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Chicago's City Council earlier this year approved $51 million in 2021 budget surplus to provide care for migrants.

The vote divided the city's Democratic lawmakers, as some residents instead said the funds should be used to address Chicago's homeless population or to invest in its Black population. The money was set to be used to provide food, housing and staffing for migrants.


Update 12/15/23, 11:57 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the Chicago Department of Public Health.


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https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/oth...9ea37433a&ei=5

The Biden regime is intentionally bringing disease and crime to the United States. They will sincerely regret it at some point. They can not remain immune from all they have done.

Evil, evil, evil.