Federal health authorities are treating two detainees for chickenpox and have separated 10 others for monitoring at an immigration detention center in South Georgia, the government confirmed Thursday.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement identified one of the afflicted as an El Salvadorian citizen who picked up the disease before coming to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin. He visited the medical clinic at Stewart days after he arrived, displaying symptoms.
Authorities isolated him and identified about 110 other detainees who were potentially exposed to the virus, ICE said in a prepared statement. Most were quickly cleared. None of the 10 who are still being monitored have shown symptoms.
Chickenpox is a contagious disease that can be spread when those infected sneeze or cough, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include rashes that turn into itchy, fluid-filled blisters that eventually turn into scabs. The disease may also cause fevers, tiredness, headaches and even death. A vaccine is available.
A sprawling, razor-rimmed complex located in Stewart County, the Stewart Detention Center can hold more than 1,600 detainees facing deportation. They come from Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
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