Disneyland Measles- More than 80 people are now infected after an outbreak of measles spread, with cases clustered around the famous Disneyland theme park, authorities said Thursday. The Disneyland measles outbreak began last month, and it has already spread in seven US states and Mexico.
The California Department of Public Health are reportedly urging people to get themselves vaccinated as soon as possible to prevent getting infected by the now so-called Disneyland measles.
"Of the confirmed cases, 42 have been linked to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California," said the health department on its website. Five of the Disneyland measles cases reportedly involved employees of the theme park.
"Initial exposures occurred in December, but additional confirmed cases visited Disney parks while infectious in January," the department added.
The Disneyland measles outbreak was believed to have started from an infected person, who was also believed to be from another country. This person reportedly visited the resort in Anaheim between December 15th and December 20th.
Arizona is now the latest state to report a case of the Disneyland measles. A woman in her 50s was diagnosed.
The outbreak of the Disneyland measles has now spread to Utah, Washington, Colorado, Oregon and across the border to Mexico, according to USA Today.
Schools and hospitals have reportedly proven to be the hot spots for an extensive number of people infected with the virus.
Two measles patients in California who visited the Oakland Medical Center's outpatient clinic have also exposed "less than 100" patients to the infection, according to Stephen Parodi, director of hospital operations for Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
Unvaccinated children were told by health officials in several California school districts to stay home after infected students of the Disneyland measles have showed up at school, said Gil Chavez, deputy director of the California Department of Public Health.
Of the students infected by the Disneyland measles, 24 at Huntington Beach High School were reportedly included.
Measles is known to linger in the air, and can infect people even two hours after a sick person has left the room.
In 2000, measles was declared eradicated in the USA, meaning the disease is no longer native to the country thus it cannot spread routinely like colds or the flu any longer. However, there were a reported 644 measles cases in the US last year. This was an enormous jump from 173 cases in 2013, reports the AFP.
Apparently, the disease has made a comeback with the Disneyland measles news. This also reportedly reflects the influence of massive measles outbreaks in other countries.
Because of the Disneyland measles issue, the debate over the so-called anti-vaccination movement was renewed. The movement involve fears about potential side effects of vaccines, and is fueled by now-debunked theories linked to autism. A small minority of parents have decided to refuse to allow their children to be vaccinated because of the theories, according to Reuters.
Carlos Villatoro, a spokesman for the state health department that the anti-vaccination movement may have contributed to the Disneyland measles outbreak.
"We think that unvaccinated individuals have been the principal factor," he said via email.
According to authorities, the best protection for children from the disease is still the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.
The American Academy of Paediatrics has also sent out a notice urging parents to vaccinate their children. All children should reportedly get the MMR vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and once again between four and six years old.
"A family vacation to an amusement park - or a trip to the grocery store, a football game or school - should not result in children becoming sickened by an almost 100 per cent preventable disease," Errol Alden, the group's executive director, said in a statement.
This week, parents of unvaccinated children, including babies under 1 year old were warned by California health officials. The officials said these children should avoid Disneyland and other crowded venues which attract people from around the world.
Measles is highly contagious in that it can spread through the air even without physical contact. Infection is seen with signs of a fever, followed by a cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and a rash. There is reportedly no specific treatment for measles and most people recover in just a few weeks. However, poor and malnourished children, including people with reduced immunity can have serious complications including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection and pneumonia when infected by measles.
There are fortunately no reported deaths from the Disneyland measles outbreak. Still, it might be best just to have yourself, or children vaccinated before other complications arise and to prevent infection altogether.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
