Public Health Actions to Control Measles Among Afghan Evacuees During Operation Allies Welcome - United States, September-November 2021

On August 29, 2021, the United States government oversaw the emergent establishment of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and implemented by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Department of State (DoS), to safely resettle U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals from Afghanistan to the United States. Evacuees were temporarily housed at several overseas locations in Europe and Asia* before being transported via military and charter flights through two U.S. international airports, and onward to eight U.S. military bases, with hotel A used for isolation and quarantine of persons with or exposed to certain infectious diseases. On August 30, CDC issued an Epi-X notice encouraging public health officials to maintain vigilance for measles among Afghan evacuees because of an ongoing measles outbreak in Afghanistan (25,988 clinical cases reported nationwide during January-November 2021) (1) and low routine measles vaccination coverage (66% and 43% for the first and second doses, respectively, in 2020) (2).

Citing Articles

SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Other Communicable Diseases Identified Among Evacuees From Afghanistan Arriving in Virginia and Pennsylvania, August to September 2021.

Gearhart S, Preston L, Christensen D, Kinzer M, Ohlsen E, Kim C Public Health Rep. 2024; :333549241277375.

PMID: 39344052 PMC: 11556454. DOI: 10.1177/00333549241277375.

Welcoming new neighbors: Minnesota's rapid response model to address the urgent health needs of Afghan newcomers, 2021-2022.

Frumholtz M, Carlson W, Shannon P, Iaquinta S, Eckerstorfer M, Hendel-Paterson B Front Public Health. 2024; 12:1413258.

PMID: 38989114 PMC: 11233686. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1413258.

Infectious diseases in Afghanistan: Strategies for health system improvement.

Essar M, Siddiqui A, Head M Health Sci Rep. 2023; 6(12):e1775.

PMID: 38116172 PMC: 10728369. DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.1775.

Measles virus transmission patterns and public health responses during Operation Allies Welcome: a descriptive epidemiological study.

Masters N, Beck A, Mathis A, Leung J, Raines K, Paul P Lancet Public Health. 2023; 8(8):e618-e628.

PMID: 37516478 PMC: 10411127. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00130-5.

Notes from the Field: Response to Measles Among Persons Evacuated from Afghanistan - Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, August-October 2021.

Pritchard N, Worrell M, Shahum A, Nwankwo A, Smith D, Koch J MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022; 71(17):609-610.

PMID: 35482554 PMC: 9098233. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7117a3.

References

Marin M, Guris D, Chaves S, Schmid S, Seward J . Prevention of varicella: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Recomm Rep. 2007; 56(RR-4):1-40. View

Taylor W . Measles in Vietnamese refugee children in Hong Kong. Epidemiol Infect. 1999; 122(3):441-6. PMC: 2809639. DOI: 10.1017/s0950268899002447. View

Porter J, Gastellu-Etchegorry M, Navarre I, Lungu G, Moren A . Measles outbreaks in the Mozambican refugee camps in Malawi: the continued need for an effective vaccine. Int J Epidemiol. 1990; 19(4):1072-7. DOI: 10.1093/ije/19.4.1072. View

McLean H, Parker Fiebelkorn A, Temte J, Wallace G . Prevention of measles, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, and mumps, 2013: summary recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Recomm Rep. 2013; 62(RR-04):1-34. View

Patel M, Lee A, Clemmons N, Redd S, Poser S, Blog D . National Update on Measles Cases and Outbreaks - United States, January 1-October 1, 2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019; 68(40):893-896. PMC: 6788396. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6840e2. View