The United States Government is threatening to ban measles patients from flights in order to prevent the current measles epidemic from spreading.

Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the Department of Homeland Security has a Do Not Board list to prevent potentially infected people from getting on planes.

Health officials in five states where measles is a serious concern have contacted people they believe to be infected. They have also contacted people who have been in close proximity to a measles patient to inform them that they risk not being allowed to travel by plane.

So far, eight individuals have agreed to cancel their flights after learning that they could be put on a Do Not Board list, according to Martin Cetron, director of the CDC agency’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.

The deterrent effect is huge,” he said while talking to the Washington Post.

The States most affected by the measles outbreak and where people contacted by the CDC are include New York, California, Illinois, Oklahoma and Washington.

Banning people with measles from flying is politically charged

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International Travel Recommendations for Measles Vaccination.Photo: CDC

The authority of the government to stop people from flying other than those on a terrorist no-fly list gets little public discussion “because it is a politically charged and politically visible request,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health policy at Georgetown University in a Washington Post article about a possible ban.

Despite being less severe than putting a measles patient in quarantine,  the public health directive “is seen as a government using its power over the people and the states, which is kind of toxic in America right now,” said Gostin. “There is nothing unethical or wrong about it. It’s just plain common sense that if you have an actively infectious individual, they should not get on an aeroplane.”

Health officials want to emphasise that getting vaccinated against the measles is the most effective way to prevent yourself from getting the disease and that if you have measles you should listen to your doctor’s advice and not travel.

What started the current measles epidemic in the U.S.A?

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Israel is suffering from a measles epidemic. Photo CDC

At the moment the United States is experiencing a record number of people infected by the measles virus, with 880 listed so far this year.

The general consensus as to the uptick in cases is the result of an increasingly organised group of people campaigning to stop children being vaccinated against diseases.

In the case of the outbreak in the United States, health officials are putting it down to unvaccinated U.S. residents travelling to Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, all countries currently suffering from an outbreak of the virus.

Do Not Board list

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Passengers boarding a flight.Photo:Pixabay

The CDC came up with the Do Not Board list for airlines in 2007 after a man with drug-resistant tuberculosis flew to Europe for his wedding and honeymoon. Despite no other passengers on the aircraft getting infected, the episode led to the creation of the list.

Since then only two passengers with measles were placed on the list in 2014 when the United States last had a measles epidemic. In order to be placed on the list, the CDC must first determine that a person is infected with a serious communicable illness and that all other methods of persuading them not to fly have failed.

What are the chances of catching measles on a flight?

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Doctor treating a patient with measles. Photo:CDC

If you have ever had measles or have been vaccinated for the virus the chances of you becoming infected are zero. If you have had neither of the two, the chance is extremely high, should you come into contact with someone who is infected.

You may not even know if someone is infected or not as the telltale red spots don’t show up until a four day incubation period has passed.

A word of warning if you have not had the measles before or have never been vaccinated: The measles virus is one of the most infectious diseases in the world and is unique in that it can be spread by droplets in the air that hang around long after the infected person has gone.

No other virus can do that.