1 Case Of Measles Reported At Fort McCoy, Base To Immunize

WISCONSIN — One measles case has been reported among Afghan refugees staying at Fort McCoy in Tomah.

One case of measles has been confirmed at Fort McCoy, Department of Defense press secretary John Kirby said Monday. There are three separate cases at Dulles International Airport in Washington and one more at Fort Pickett.

The department has paused flights of Afghan refugees to the U.S. on the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kirby said. The pause would last for at least seven days because of recent diagnosed measles cases among people arriving from Afghanistan.

All arriving Afghans are required to be vaccinated for measles, and immunizations were being administered at military bases in the U.S., Kirby said.

The one measles case was diagnosed on Sept. 5 among 12,500 people living at Fort McCoy now, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Nearly all of the Afghan people at the base were accepting COVID-19 vaccinations, state Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Dane County) told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

An Afghan linguist staying at Fort McCoy told News8000.com that some people there were going without food due to a shortage. Task Force McCoy, a military group created to care for refugees at the base, said it was improving its food options and keeping open dialogue with its guests.

The Salvation Army of La Crosse is accepting clothing for men, women and children and hygiene items for refugees, the base said. Welcome.us, a nonprofit volunteer agency, has opened to volunteers to help resettle Afghans in the United States.

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