(CNN)State and local health officials have consulted with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recent months about the possibility of preventing individuals from flying to prevent measles transmission.This year, there have been such discussions about eight individuals in five states, as first reported by the Washington Post on Thursday.The eight individuals were either confirmed to be infected, believed to have a high probability of having measles or at high risk due to not being immune to the highly contagious virus and suspected of being in close contact with someone who has measles, CDC spokeswoman Caitlin Shockey told CNN.She characterized the conversations as "pre-discussions" and said that state and local health departments contacted the CDC to say "we have people that we may have to place on the do not board list."Measles in Maine means half the states in the US now have cases of this highly contagious diseaseThe "do not board" list is a tool the federal government can use to prevent an infectious person from flying while sick, explained Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine. Read MoreThis measure has been used since 2007 for patients who have tuberculosis and in 2014 was used twice for measles.After trying to dissuade a passenger who is sick and contagious from traveling on a plane, state or local health officials may contact the CDC to request assistance. The agency then has to verify that attempts were made to prevent the individual from traveling and that the person has flight reservations. The CDC speaks to the airline to arrange for any fees related to canceling the trip to be waved. Then, the CDC works with the Department of Homeland Security to place the person on a public health do not board list, which tells the airline not to issue a boarding pass, Cetron told CNN. He said that it's a persuasive option. "Ninety-something percent of the time, when we inform people we want them to change their mind and we can tell the airline not to issue a boarding pass, they change their mind."In the instances that have come up this year due to measles, all of the individuals decided not to travel without the CDC contacting them, Shockey said.How worried should I be about measles? The states that contacted the CDC about the possible need for this intervention were California, which has reported 47 cases of measles this year; Illinois, which has reported eight cases of measles this year; Oklahoma, which has had one case; Washington, which has reported 79 cases; and New York, which has reported more than 630 cases."The NYC Health Department has worked with two individuals who were not immune to measles to prevent them from flying during the 21 days after they were exposed to measles virus, while they were at risk for getting sick," Patrick Gallahue, spokesman for the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, wrote in an email. "No one has been placed on the 'Do Not Board
health,Measles outbreak: Health officials considered banning individuals from flying - CNN,
(CNN)State and local health officials have consulted with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recent months about the possibility of preventing individuals from flying to prevent measles transmission.This year, there have been such discussions about eight individuals in five states, as first reported by the Washington Post on Thursday.The eight individuals were either confirmed to be infected, believed to have a high probability of having measles or at high risk due to not being immune to the highly contagious virus and suspected of being in close contact with someone who has measles, CDC spokeswoman Caitlin Shockey told CNN.She characterized the conversations as "pre-discussions" and said that state and local health departments contacted the CDC to say "we have people that we may have to place on the do not board list."Measles in Maine means half the states in the US now have cases of this highly contagious diseaseThe "do not board" list is a tool the federal government can use to prevent an infectious person from flying while sick, explained Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine. Read MoreThis measure has been used since 2007 for patients who have tuberculosis and in 2014 was used twice for measles.After trying to dissuade a passenger who is sick and contagious from traveling on a plane, state or local health officials may contact the CDC to request assistance. The agency then has to verify that attempts were made to prevent the individual from traveling and that the person has flight reservations. The CDC speaks to the airline to arrange for any fees related to canceling the trip to be waved. Then, the CDC works with the Department of Homeland Security to place the person on a public health do not board list, which tells the airline not to issue a boarding pass, Cetron told CNN. He said that it's a persuasive option. "Ninety-something percent of the time, when we inform people we want them to change their mind and we can tell the airline not to issue a boarding pass, they change their mind."In the instances that have come up this year due to measles, all of the individuals decided not to travel without the CDC contacting them, Shockey said.How worried should I be about measles? The states that contacted the CDC about the possible need for this intervention were California, which has reported 47 cases of measles this year; Illinois, which has reported eight cases of measles this year; Oklahoma, which has had one case; Washington, which has reported 79 cases; and New York, which has reported more than 630 cases."The NYC Health Department has worked with two individuals who were not immune to measles to prevent them from flying during the 21 days after they were exposed to measles virus, while they were at risk for getting sick," Patrick Gallahue, spokesman for the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, wrote in an email. "No one has been placed on the 'Do Not Board
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