U.S Suspends Afghan Refugee Flights Over Measles Cases

United States Government has temporarily suspended flights of Afghan refugees into the country over measles cases.

Gatekeepers News reports that four measles cases were confirmed among the Afghan refugees that has landed in the U.S. Measles is a highly contagious disease that can be deadly, especially in children. Its spread reduced significantly over the past decades due to global mass vaccination.

On Friday, White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki explained that the suspension of flights follows the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “out of an abundance of caution”.

“These individuals are being quarantined in accordance with public health guidelines, and the CDC has begun full contact tracing,” the Press Secretary told reporters.

Psaki said all Afghans arriving in the United States are required to have “critical immunisations”.

“We are also exploring measures to vaccinate people while they are still overseas,” she said.

It is not immediately clear how long the suspension of flights will last. Thousands of Afghans in military bases in Germany, Qatar, Spain and other places are awaiting transfer to the US where they will be vetted before being cleared for resettlement.

US officials have said the country plans to take in 50,000 Afghans out of more than 100,000 evacuated from Afghanistan last month amid the Taliban takeover.

Washington assured that it will continue with the effort to help American citizens and vulnerable Afghans leave Afghanistan following the U.S military withdrawal that concluded on August 31.