US government plans to ban air travel against risk of measles outbreak

Eight people suspected of being infected with measles through five US states have agreed to cancel their flights. Officials had threatened to put them on the "forbidden sites" list of the federal government.

RELATED: NEW YORK DECLARES EMERGENCY OF MEASLES PUBLIC HEALTH

The list is managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which monitor epidemics.

Representatives from the states of New York, California, Illinois, Oklahoma and Washington contacted the CDC about travelers.

Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health policy at Georgetown University, says that although it is less restrictive than In isolation or quarantine, the public health measure "is perceived as a government using its power over the people and the states, which is a bit toxic in America at the present time".

"There is nothing wrong with ethics or fake. It makes sense that if you have an actively contagious person, she should not fly. "

The question of vaccination

Vaccinations have been a subject of contention in recent years. However, to protect us from measles, health officials point out that he is the best and most effective means.

Health department officials took cautious steps when they advised people infected with measles to travel or not. In New York, for example, which has 523 cases, the largest in the country so far, has advised two people "not immunized against measles" not to travel during the 21-year incubation period. days.

More controversial and restrictive public health measures have been taken to curb the epidemic. New York City shut down schools that refused to keep unvaccinated children at home and delivered compulsory vaccination orders for people living in several Brooklyn neighborhoods with a potential fine of $ 1,000.

The United States has identified 880 cases of measles outbreaks that have been reported in 24 states in the last year. The greatest number since 1994.

Anti-vaccine movement

The number of people has increased dramatically due to the organized anti-vaccine movement. In the United States, the majority of cases came from unvaccinated persons traveling to countries affected by measles outbreaks, such as Israel, the Philippines and Ukraine.

At present, international health regulations require only evidence of immunization against yellow fever. According to Gostin, it would be a "chaos" to distinguish proof of immunization against measles.

What is the "Do not ship" list?

Developed in 2007 by an Atlanta man with resistant tuberculosis, the Do Not Board list was created in the United States to reduce travel-related health risks.

The risks were for other pbadengers traveling in the same aircraft as the Atlanta man; however, no one seemed to be infected.

In 2014, the first two people on the list of measles cases and travel banners. Until then, the list consisted mainly of people infected with tuberculosis.

Will I get measles while traveling?

The chances of catching measles while traveling are still low, with approximately 80-85% of American travelers already vaccinated. Be that as it may, this year alone, there have been 62 cases of people traveling with measles linked to an airplane. A figure that increases every year.

The CDC must determine whether a person is infectious or not after it is on the list and only after all other routes have been tried.

Health officials are working closely with the airlines and are trying to remove the change or cancellation fees for those who agree to change their trip.