A measles outbreak that began at Disneyland is spreading across California and beyond, prompting health officials to move aggressively to contain it — including by barring unvaccinated students from going to school in Orange County. The outbreak has increased concerns that a longstanding movement against childhood vaccinations has created a surge in a disease that was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.
Health officials said 59 cases of measles had been diagnosed in California as of Wednesday January 21, with an additional eight related cases spread through Utah, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Mexico. Among those infected are five workers at Disneyland, where the outbreak was spotted in mid-December; 42 of the 59 California cases have been linked to the Disneyland outbreak.
“We can expect to see many more cases of this preventable disease unless people take measures to prevent it,” said Dr. Gilberto F. Chávez, the deputy director of the California Center for Infectious Diseases. “I am asking unvaccinated Californians to consider getting vaccinated against measles.”
Read full, original story: Measles Cases Linked to Disneyland Rise, and Debtate over Vaccinations Intensifies
