All cases were linked to a private detention facility in Eloy. In total, the three-month outbreak infected 13 detainees and nine staff members.
“The intensive work our disease detectives performed during this outbreak helped us to track areas of public exposure, quickly publish that information and stop further spread into the community,” said Cara Christ, MD, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Dr. Christ previously critiqued the relaxed vaccination requirements for employees of the detention center. While all inmates were promptly vaccinated after the announcement of the outbreak in May, approximately 40 percent of the facility’s employees had yet to be vaccinated or provide documentation of immunity by July.
Bob England, MD, director of Maricopa County Department of Public Health, said, “This outbreak is a reminder of why we need people to stay up to date on their immunizations, and why it’s also important that institutions assure the vaccination status of their employees.”
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