Provides clinicians with directions on reporting infectious refugee disease.
On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance for healthcare workers who encounter evacuees from Afghanistan carrying infectious illnesses. The CDC alert comes after the U.S. government airlifted about 124,000 people, of which 6,000 were U.S. citizens, from Afghanistan last month.
The CDC cautioned, “That clinicians be on alert for cases of measles that meet the case definition, as well as other infectious diseases, including mumps, leishmaniasis, and malaria, among evacuees (including both Afghan nationals and U.S. citizens) from Afghanistan. Clinicians should immediately notify their local or state health department of any suspected cases of measles. Clinicians should also recommend the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine for unvaccinated patients. Measles is an extremely contagious infectious disease; around 9 out of 10 people who are close contacts and who are not protected will become infected following exposure to measles virus.”
The CDC has received confirmation of 16 cases of measles and 4 cases of mumps among the evacuees as of Monday. COVID vaccines have not been mandated for the refugees at this time.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For CDC officials as they monitor and assess the risk of disease outbreak among refugees.
- For state and local health professionals as they evaluate illnesses and provide reports to the federal government.
- For the prevention of further infectious disease epidemics.
Sources: CDC.gov, Breitbart
