Texas ICE center
A public health emergency': doctors sound alarm on measles outbreak at Texas ICE center
Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson
Mon, February 2, 2026 at 5:20 PM EST
SUMMARY:
Warning of a potential public health crisis, physicians at UT Health San Antonio are calling for an urgent, coordinated effort to contain a measles outbreak at a federal immigrant detention center in South Texas.
Two cases of measles have been confirmed at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, 70 miles southwest of San Antonio.
The discovery has raised concern because detainees, staff and contractors move in and out of the facility routinely and because some families were released or transferred shortly before or after the outbreak was disclosed on Sunday. Measles is highly contagious and poses a special risk to infants and young children who have not been vaccinated.
In a letter to the state's top health official, Dr. Lee C. Rogers, chief of podiatric medicine and surgery at UT Health San Antonio, called for "an immediate, unified command-and-control of the measles outbreak."
The letter, addressed to Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, bore the heading: "Public Health Emergency: The measles outbreak at Dilley Detention Center will become an epidemic if we don't act immediately."
"This is a public health emergency," Rogers wrote. "This is not a law enforcement issue." He wrote that in a detention center, where people live in close contact and breathe the same air, "everyone has to be presumed exposed." He said that releases or transfers of detainees during an outbreak could spread the virus beyond South Texas.
LINK:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/public-health-emergency-doctors-sound-222009241.html
P.S.
"Rogers said he was speaking out even though infectious diseases are not his specialty because he believed other physicians would be reluctant to do so.
UT Health officials said Rogers was voicing his own views and was not speaking on behalf of the institution."
COMMENT: I'm with Rogers!.. of course releases or transfers of detainees/people during an outbreak will spread the virus beyond South Texas and not only that this is unethical and immoral to not treat and prevent illnesses amongst detainees.
My grandfather was in WW2 and he said his own prisoners of war tried to nurse him when he caught malaria. We are all in the same boat when it comes to contagious illnesses...
..."In World War II, American soldiers generally treated German and Italian prisoners of war (POWs) well,
often adhering to Geneva Convention standards, providing good food, medical care, and, in the U.S., opportunities for labor, education, and recreation(there were exceptions but the overall trend was positive)" Regardless more measles equals more measles for everybody therefore...
I say disease and illness is the common enemy.
When it comes to contagious illness,
What goes around comes around.
"the measles virus can and does mutate, just like other single-stranded RNA viruses (such as influenza or COVID-19). However, unlike those viruses, measles mutations rarely lead to new variants that can escape the immune protection provided by the measles vaccine"..
...the keyword here is rarely. ..That being said it only stands to reason that if the more measles circulates amongst masses of people that might greaten the chance of mutation and make make a rare instance happen as rare as that might be. Just because something is rare doesn't mean it can't or won't happen. Its certainly is not something I'd play around with . I don't gamble on such things personally. With my luck, something 'rare' might happen. I don't like relying on luck...I like a sure thing.
I'd rather be a 'no-risk' kind of guy than a 'low risk' one,
The Masked Man
Here is
an overview of The Geneva Conventions which would and should apply to this Texas ICE center and all ICE facilities for that matter
which is a public health emergency...
"The Geneva Conventions establish rules for humanitarian treatment in armed conflict, protecting those not fighting (civilians, medics, wounded, POWs) by prohibiting torture, willful killing, and attacks on non-combatants, while mandating humane care, proper housing, and medical attention for captives, ensuring a baseline of dignity and preventing unnecessary suffering even in war. Key rules cover the humane treatment of POWs (name, rank, serial number only), protection of medical personnel, and restrictions on warfare methods to avoid superfluous injury.
Core Rules & Protections
Humane Treatment: All protected persons (wounded, sick, POWs, civilians) must be treated humanely, without discrimination.
No Torture: Torture, cruel treatment, and willful killing are strictly forbidden.
Medical Care: Wounded and sick soldiers, medical personnel, and facilities are protected and must receive care.
Prisoners of War (POWs): Must be given humane conditions, adequate food, shelter, clothing, and medical care; they only need to give their name, rank, and serial number.
Civilians: Protected from attacks, displacement, and harsh treatment, especially in occupied territories.
Medical & Aid Personnel: Protected, and their emblems (Red Cross, Red Crescent) respected.
Prohibited Warfare Methods: Attacks causing unnecessary suffering or using perfidy (deception) are banned.
The Four Conventions (1949)
Convention I: Protects wounded and sick soldiers on land.
Convention II: Extends protections to wounded, sick, and shipwrecked military personnel at sea.
Convention III: Governs the treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs).
Convention IV: Protects civilians, including those in occupied territory.
Additional Protocols (1977)
Strengthened protections, clarifying rules for international conflicts (Protocol I) and non-international conflicts (Protocol II).
Emphasize limiting methods of warfare and protecting civilians further.
Key Takeaway
The Geneva Conventions establish the baseline of humanity in war, ensuring that even during conflict, fundamental rights are respected for those who cannot or are not participating in hostilities, aiming to limit barbarity and preserve human dignity."
Also there's
Amnesty International https://www.amnesty.org/en/COMMENT:
Dr. Lee C. Rogers, chief of podiatric medicine and surgery at UT Health San Antonio is simply following the The Geneva Conventions when he is calls "for an urgent, coordinated effort to contain a measles outbreak at a federal immigrant detention center in South Texas".
.. depending on the political climate and how it shifts there could be a lot of people going to prison for warcrimes in the nearby future. The US is still part of the Geneva Conventions. At this stage nothing would surprise me if some of the bigwigs won't be accused of warcrimes or something akin to warcrimes considering what has already transpired...
...Not everybody's conduct has been estimable.. if you know what I mean.. there has definitely been some signs of internal strife in the US... Internal strife refers to intense, often violent, conflict and discord within a group, organization, or nation—such as civil war, rebellion, or political upheaval. It represents a breakdown of unity, causing instability, and can be driven by political, social, or economic factors...
Not to get political but I will say that there are ramifications that occur with people and factions that make radical political decisions in such a way that creates internal strife. Let's put it this way It's simply prudent and a good investment to follow the Geneva Conventions whether we are religious or not. We stand to gain more by following the Geneva Conventions than by not following the Geneva Conventions.
Sanity and grace,
The Masked Man
