A Russian national held at the Florence Detention Center amid a measles outbreak has been quarantined, though his wife now says it's unclear whether he actually contracted the disease.

According to a recorded call between Andrea Landavazo and her husband, Vlad, that was shared with Tucson Spotlight, he was given medication for symptoms he experienced in detention, including coughing and congestion, but has not developed the rash associated with measles.

Tucson Spotlight reported Thursday, based on information from Landavazo, that Vlad had contracted measles. After speaking with him directly by phone, Landavazo said his diagnosis has not been confirmed.

Vlad, whose last name is being withheld for fear of retaliation, is a Russian refugee who fled his home country to avoid being drafted into the war in Ukraine.

He was detained June 26 when he presented himself at a Tucson ICE field office with a motion to reopen his immigration case, six days after marrying Landavazo. His deportation is scheduled for July 30.

Vlad will remain in quarantine until July 19.

Measles, an airborne illness, typically produces cold-like symptoms one to two weeks after exposure and can spread in the days before the telltale rash appears.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday there are seven confirmed measles cases among detainees at the Florence Detention Center, which has restricted visitors from entering the facility.

Arizona facilities are no strangers to similar outbreaks. The Florence Detention Center had a measles outbreak in February, with three confirmed cases.

And in 2016, a measles outbreak at an ICE detention center in Pinal County affected more than 30 detainees and nine staff members, the largest at an Arizona detention center since 1991.

The CDC recommends that people in close contact with detainees or incarcerated individuals receive a dose of the MMR vaccine, but it's a recommendation, not a requirement. ICE does not mandate that its employees be vaccinated against measles.

A study by the Stanford University School of Medicine's Department of Emergency Medicine tracked vaccine-preventable disease transmission across 20 detention facilities between 2019 and 2023, documenting more than 2,000 cases of influenza, more than 250 cases of mumps and more than 480 cases of hepatitis A nationwide.

Arizona had one of the highest disease clusters in the country, particularly for influenza, according to the study.

Cases of influenza, mumps and hepatitis A were prevalent in detention centers across the country even without large-scale outbreaks, driven in part by overcrowding and frequent detainee transfers.

The study concluded that limiting the number of occupants in a facility, improving ventilation and providing vaccination programs for both detainees and staff can help prevent future outbreaks.

U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva addressed the outbreak in a statement Thursday, reiterating her call for ICE to delay the deportations of affected detainees so they can pursue their legal cases.

"For ICE to say this is the 'best healthcare' these individuals have ever received while simultaneously presiding over a measles outbreak at one of its own facilities demonstrates how willfully blind or blatantly indifferent the agency is to the inhumane conditions right under its nose," Grijalva said.

Topacio “Topaz” Servellon is a reporter with Tucson Spotlight. Contact them at topacioserve@gmail.com.

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