The recent influx of migrants to Chicago’s many shelters and parks is having public health implications. Health officials have been able to isolate an impending outbreak of chickenpox in the city.
Local health officials were confident about this submission thanks to nearly two decades of chickenpox records. According to a recent report by a local TV station, there is a sharp increase in chickenpox cases in Chicago. The report used data from 2005 through 2023, made available by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).
The CDPH reported an average of 53 yearly cases of chickenpox between 2005 and 2022. However, the numbers have gone through the roof in 2023. There are reports of almost 400 cases of infectious chickenpox have been reported this year alone. Interestingly, there may still be some cases before the year ends.
The first suspect in this sudden outbreak of chickenpox is the large number of immigrants daily arriving in Chicago. Usually, the disease is not a public health issue in Chicago, as most locals are vaccinated.
However, it may be a challenge within immigrant shelters and camps. This is so because many of the migrants came into the country illegally and did not go through any medical screening.
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Any of the migrants daily crossing the Mexico-US border could be a vector of a contagious disease, and no one would know. Indeed, the health status of the migrants is the last thing personnel of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) want to worry about.
However, after noting the spike in chickenpox cases, the CDPH is taking initiatives to prevent a potential outbreak. During a public statement last week, a spokesperson of the CDPH addressed the issue.
They affirmed that there have been recent reports of chickenpox in new arrivals of migrants. So, they are working in unison with the leadership and management of shelter facilities and migrant holding areas.
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Basically, CDPH is trying to provide infection control guidance to the pockets of migrants dotting the landscape of Chicago. However, the CDPH is not limiting its intervention to chickenpox alone. It equally applies to other communicable illnesses like polio, measles, rubella, and mumps.
Likewise, the CDPH will use a contact-tracing scheme to narrow down potential disease vectors. So, they are starting with schools by identifying any student who has come in contact with an infected person.
After identification, the CDPH will determine if the student is safe by checking their vaccination records. CDPH may require such students to stay at home if the record shows they have not been vaccinated.
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Many locals are criticizing the Texas government for unleashing busloads of migrants on states with lenient migration laws. Illinois is one of such states, and Chicago holds the status of a “Sanctuary City.” However, some locals feel the city Mayor would do more good by expending the budget sum for migrant welfare on taking homeless Chicagoans off the streets.
The varicella-zoster virus is responsible for transmitting chickenpox. The illness is seldom fatal. Some common chickenpox symptoms are invasive skin blisters, often containing fluid, which may degenerate into an itchy rash.
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