President Joe Biden has faced backlash online this week from supporters of former President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement for a measles outbreak largely spread by migrants in Chicago.
As of Friday, there have been 57 confirmed cases of measles in the city since cases started popping up in March, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). The majority of cases have been linked to the city's largest migrant shelter in the Pilsen neighborhood. This past week, there were only four new cases, which are included in the 57-case total.
Measles is a highly contagious illness caused by a virus that spreads through an infected person's breath, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms tend to include a cold-like illness and a rash of tiny red spots. However, it can cause complications and, in some cases, lead to death.
The CDPH announced in a Friday update: "Planned efforts are underway for individuals at the affected shelter to receive 2nd doses of MMR vaccine and therefore increase their level of protection against measles. Of the 57 confirmed cases, 33 are in children below the age of 5, underscoring the critical importance of childhood vaccination in fighting the spread of this highly infectious disease."
The measles outbreak in Chicago has become a new talking point for those who have been critical of the massive influx of migrants coming into the United States, many of which illegally, through the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years. Since the start of the fiscal year, which began in October, there have been 1,151,448 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encounters.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Trump, who is the presumed 2024 GOP presidential nominee, is campaigning on his MAGA platform like he did in 2020 and 2016, with the MAGA movement heavily based on anti-immigration policy.
The former president's supporters took to X, formerly Twitter, this week to voice their disdain for the situation at the southern border under the Biden administration.
X account RNC Research, which is run by the Republican National Committee (RNC), wrote on X on Friday, "BIDEN'S AMERICA: 'Chicago now has more cases of measles than the last 14 years COMBINED' amid the flood of illegals to the Democrat-run city."
RNC Research was quoting a report from Erik Runge, a reporter for Chicago TV station WGN-TV.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who is a staunch supporter of Trump and vocal critic of Biden, shared RNC Research's post and wrote Saturday on X: "They forced everyone to take COVID shots, but allow illegals to invade, bring in, and spread diseases that were eradicated by vaccines."
Richard Grenell, a Republican who served as acting director of National Intelligence in 2020 under the Trump administration, wrote on Thursday: "Joe Biden's open border is a health crisis, too. Diseases we had under control are coming back...Tuberculosis breaks out at Chicago migrant shelters following measles cases."
Cases of measles have been recorded in at least 17 states since the start of the year, as local health officials attempt to prevent the spread of the disease. There have been confirmed cases in Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.
Meanwhile, the CDPH recently confirmed a "smaller number" of tuberculosis (TB) infections detected at some migrant shelters in the city.
CDPH spokesperson Jacob Martin told Newsweek on Friday that the TB cases should not be considered as part of an "outbreak," adding that between 100 and 150 cases tend to show up on average annually across the city.
"There is no TB outbreak, as an outbreak would require evidence of recent transmission," he said. "Most cases of active TB disease in Chicago and the U.S. occur in people who acquired infection years ago in their home country and then have re-activation of the bacteria later in life. Public health TB programs in the U.S. perform contact tracing around infectious cases to prevent spread of the infection to others."
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