FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show A Smallpox Patient At The Southern Border?
A photo shared on social media purportedly shows a case of a current outbreak of Smallpox in migrants at the southern border.
Verdict: False
The claim is inaccurate. The image is from 2014.
Fact Check:
December saw record high border crossings at a reported 302,000 encounters along the U.S./Mexico border in December, ABC News reported. Texas Governor Greg Abbot said in a statement that President Biden is “destroying America” and suggested his admin does not want laws to be enforced with illegal immigrants.
A post shared on Facebook purports a Smallpox outbreak is occurring near the border. The photo shows a man with extensive rashes on his body.
The caption reads, “The bumps on this illegal’s body who was detained from the Caravan @ the Border is smallpox. Over ½ of the detainees from that Caravan have tested positive for Tuberculosis which there is no vaccine for. Is the border wall starting to look good now?”
The claim is inaccurate. The image dates back 2014 when the Houston Chronicle published a story about the conditions in the U.S./Mexico border. The report showed several images of the facilities that the Customs and Border Protection uses in Texas.
Business Insider reported the rash was either scabies or chicken pox. (Did Pope Francis Say That Jesus Was Born During A Census Taken By King David?)
This is not the first piece of misinformation that has been shared online. Check Your Fact debunked a claim video showing Israeli soldiers stoning Palestinians to death.