Health officials are threatening to place people with probable measles infections on a federal no fly list if they do not willingly cancel flights themselves, reports The Washington Post.
State health officials in New York, California, Illinois, Texas and Washington issued the warning to eight people likely infected with measles. The individuals all cancelled their flights after learning state officials could ask the government to add their names to a Do Not Board list overseen by the CDC.
The CDC created the Do Not Board list in 2007 after an Atlanta man with drug-resistant tuberculosis ignored health officials' recommendations and flew to Europe, causing a health scare. The list is mainly used for people with TB, but two people with measles infections were added in 2014, when the U.S. reported 667 cases for the year. As of May 17, the CDC has reported 880 cases in 2019.