The federal health agency is taking every precaution because measles is an extremely contagious disease that infects about 9 out of every 10 unprotected people who come in contact with it. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, however, is highly effective at preventing the transmission of illness. The full two doses are 97 percent effective against measles and 88 percent effective against mumps. That’s why the CDC is mandating the vaccine for all new arrivals from Afghanistan and urging doctors to encourage all their patients to get the MMR inoculation if they haven’t already done so. (Federal data show that already about 90 percent of U.S. children receive the MMR vaccine.) Evacuees must also complete a 21-day quarantine from the time of vaccination at U.S. “safe haven”–designated locations, such as military bases. As the Wisconsin State Journal reported on Wednesday, Fort McCoy in the western part of the state has seen seven measles cases among about 12,500 Afghans staying at the base. All those who tested positive will remain in isolation until they fully recover. In an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, the Fort McCoy spokesperson Cheryl Phillips said the base no longer has active cases and the public should not fear disease spread. “Given that Afghan guests are residing on the Fort McCoy military installation, there is minimal potential for exposure to the neighboring community,” she said. About 124,000 people, including about 6,000 American citizens, have been safely flown out of Afghanistan. On September 10, however, the United States stopped incoming flights of refugees after discovering a few cases of measles. Unvaccinated individuals are staying abroad until they can be inoculated and complete 21 days of quarantine before leaving for America. Although U.S. military bases have been carrying out a mass vaccination plan, federal health officials warn that some evacuees left bases before measles cases were identified and the mass inoculation campaign began. “Public health officials should continue to look for people with communicable disease symptoms, isolate those with symptoms, and track contacts to manage the spread of the illness,” says the CDC. Although measles and mumps have practically been eliminated in the United States, William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor of preventive medicine and health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, told Everyday Health that such intensive measures are warranted. “In the past, imported cases of both diseases have set off localized outbreaks among children who were not vaccinated [as with measles] or whose protection from vaccine had waned [as with mumps],” said Dr. Schaffner. “Therefore, each imported case is investigated vigorously by public health authorities in order to prevent these diseases from gaining a new foothold in the United States.” He adds, however, that the public should not be overly concerned. “The local public health authorities have this small problem well-defined and under control,” he said. “The use of combined MMR vaccine in the affected population can stop the spread of measles and mumps very effectively.” Evacuees are receiving shots against COVID-19 and other diseases as well. Among this population, some incidents of chicken pox (varicella), tuberculosis, malaria, leishmaniasis (a parasitic illness), and hepatitis A have been discovered.
