MMR and chickenpox vaccination campaign at Fort McCoy completed

FORT MCCOY, Wis. (WSAW) - The Operation Allies Welcome team at Fort McCoy has vaccinated 97% of Afghan refugees against measles, mumps, and rubella, and chickenpox.

Arriving Afghans are required to get vaccinated for measles, COVID-19, and other diseases as a condition of their humanitarian parole unless a medical provider determines they are not able to receive these immunizations.

“Effective public health policies and practices, as prescribed by the CDC, are a cornerstone of the interagency work being done here at Fort McCoy,” Angie Salazar, federal coordinator for the Department of Homeland Security, the lead federal agency for OAW. “The mass vaccination campaign is a perfect example of how we are coming together in a whole-of-government approach to protect our guests and ultimately the U.S. population.”

“I’m proud of the entire Fort McCoy team that has come together to protect our Afghan guests and the public at large,” said Maj. Gen. Darrell Guthrie, senior DoD mission commander of Task Force McCoy. “The cooperation with the vaccination program among the Afghan population is very encouraging. Young and old, our guests have been very supportive of this effort.”