Flights carrying Afghans to the United States were put on hold on Friday after four cases of measles were discovered among those already in the country.
“Operation Allies Welcome flights into the United States have been temporarily paused at the request of the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and out of an abundance of caution because of four diagnosed cases of measles among Afghans who recently arrived in the United States,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at an afternoon briefing.
It was not clear where the four infected individuals were located, though Psaki said they were quarantining. Refugees have been traveling to the U.S. from military bases in Germany and Qatar. New arrivals are required to vaccinate for the disease, though the vaccine takes two to three weeks to become fully effective.
The U.S. experienced 13 cases of measles in 2020 in eight jurisdictions, according to the CDC. Jurisdictions are defined as all 50 states, along with New York City and the District of Columbia. The agency said just two cases were reported in one jurisdiction as of August 6.
The disease is more common in Afghanistan. It has ranked as the 7th leading country so far this year in terms of total new cases, with 1,273 confirmed infections.
Watch above via CNN.