Flu Outbreak Continues to Grow at San Diego Migrant Shelter
There have been multiple cases of influenza reported at the San Diego migrant shelter, according to a spokesperson for the county.
More than a Dozen Immigrants Transferred from Texas to San Diego Victims of Flu Outbreak in Shelter - Times of San Diego
County health officials on Thursday announced a flu outbreak at a Bankers Hill immigrant shelter housing asylum seekers.
timesofsandiego.com
More than a Dozen Immigrants Transferred from Texas to San Diego Victims of Flu Outbreak in Shelter
A Border Patrol officer with recently detained immigrants. Courtesy CBP
County health officials on Thursday announced they have quarantined victims of a flu outbreak at a Bankers Hill immigrant shelter housing asylum seekers.
According to Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the county’s deputy public health officer, the county has identified 16 people at the shelter who have an “influenza-like illness.”
County health officials have quarantined and begun treating those affected.
The patients are currently being housed at a shelter in Bankers Hill operated by the San Diego Rapid Response Network, a coalition of human-rights, service and faith-based organizations including Jewish Family Service of San Diego.
The county Board of Supervisors voted in January to authorize the coalition to use the former courthouse as a temporary shelter.
“Our staff, in conjunction with those of Jewish Family Services and others, are following established procedures to ensure these individuals and their families are well before they leave San Diego for other destinations,” Sidelinger said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security began flying detained asylum-seeking immigrants from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to San Diego on May 17. Many of the detainees are families that have claimed asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border and are being sent to San Diego County for processing.
Federal immigration authorities announced the plan due to an unprecedented immigration crush in Texas.
Customs and Border Protection agents have detained an average of 4,500 migrants each day this year. CBP officials have also said they are currently holding roughly 8,000 people in the Rio Grande Valley, double the agency’s capacity in the area.
Immigration authorities are operating 10 jets between San Diego and Texas with roughly 130 people aboard per flight. Local CBP agents aim to process detained asylum seekers within 72 hours. At that point, they are often released into the county with an ankle monitor to ensure they attend hearings for their asylum claims.
The county defines a flu outbreak as one person being diagnosed with the virus and a second developing the illness within 72 hours. County officials said they plan to continue monitoring those in the shelter for flu-like symptoms to ensure that they do not spread throughout the facility or the surrounding communities.
“Our early efforts to create a safe and professionally-staffed shelter for legal migrant families has protected the greater San Diego region,” said county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher. “Our rigorous screening process and attentive medical staff is what has allowed us to quickly identify this issue and take steps to address it.”
