Brownsville, Texas – The state of Texas alerts the United Sates Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the potential disease outbreak in border detention facilities.
Current State of Border Detention Centers
The Texas Department of State Health Services deployed two of its staff to Brownsville and McAllen federal detention facilities four weeks earlier. Thousands of migrant children are being detained in those centers for urgent care. The majority is from Central America who awaits immigration proceedings. The Health Services department wanted to observe the conditions of the children. Severe overcrowding was indicated in the findings. The national standards require 20 square feet of living space per individual, but the current condition showed only 5 and a half square feet per child.
Implications Due to Overcrowding
Children as detainees would need urgent care clinics, but the severe overcrowding resulted to more issues. Some of them were held in areas without air conditioning systems, sleeping on concrete due to the overcrowding. Children were also exposed to insect bites and temperature reaching about 100 degrees. Other children with contagious infections such as lice and scabies were not given an urgent care clinic service and they were not isolated from the general population. Carrie Williams, the State Health Services spokesperson said that the toilets in the kids’ cells could be a major cause for the spread of disease. The lack of hand washing facilities is also a big concern in the quarters, she added. Hence, the overcrowding condition opens the possibility and increased risk of disease outbreak in the centers.
Due Process and Care
Children detainees in fact need an urgent care near me facility, considering their conditions. CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden had been contacted about the concern, William said. CDC involvement is urged, she added, considering their expertise in disease management. Medical screenings for the children will be conducted, after they are moved to long term housing facilities, indicated in an email sent by the CDC. The children need due process and care, and numerous agencies are held responsible for various aspects, especially on the current conditions and potential disease outbreak in the centers. A request for information and interview with the United States Customs and Border Protection was sent, as the conditions in the detention centers were overlooked, but no response was received yet.
Three-Step Screening Process
Officer Jessica Maxwell of the Office of Health Affairs described a 3-step screening process for the children after they are taken into custody. Her agency will ensure that the detainees will be checked for any signs of diseases. Children with observable symptoms will be transported to a local medical facility for further diagnosis. Those with communicable diseases will be isolated from the overall detainee population. In order to eliminate the threat of any disease outbreak, agencies will conduct thorough health screenings before the children enter detention.
