Measles Outbreak Spreads from California to Other States
Measles Outbreak Spreads from California to Other States – The measles outbreak tied to Disney theme parks in California has now spread to five other states and Mexico.
There are 59 confirmed cases in California and 45 of theses cases have been linked to Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure Park, according to the California Department of Public Health. Seven other cases have been confirmed in Utah, Washington, Colorado and Oregon states, and Mexico reportedly has one case.
According to California state officials, so far they know the vaccination status for 34 patients, and 28 patients were not vaccinated at all, and 6 were babies who were too young to be vaccinated.
Measles was eliminated in the US in 2000, but has been reintroduced by people from another country who are infected and traveled to the US, or an unvaccinated person in the US travelled abroad and brought the illness back.
Measles is a highly infectious, airborne diseases and symptoms include high fever, cold, cough, and a red rash that first appears on the face and neck and then spreads to the rest of the body. Measles can lead to blindness and encephalitis, an infection of the brain, and death.
Children are typically immunized with the MMR (Mumps, Measles, and Rubella) vaccine at 12 to 16 months and a second at 4- to 6-years-old. However, many parents choose not to vaccinate their children because they fear that the vaccinations might cause autism. Studies have shown that there is no link between these vaccinations and autism.
Category: News
