Measles Outbreak Traced to Disneyland

Anaheim visitors may have been exposed
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 7, 2015 9:20 PM CST
Updated Jan 8, 2015 12:15 AM CST
Measles Outbreak Traced to Disneyland
Disney says it's doing its best to assist health authorities.   (AP Photo/Tammie Arroyo, File)

A rare measles outbreak has been traced to Disneyland, and people who visited the Anaheim theme park between Dec. 15 and 20 may have been exposed, health officials in California warn. Nine cases have been confirmed in people ranging in age from 8 months to 21 years, most of whom were unvaccinated, and several more potential cases are being investigated, reports Reuters. People who visited the adjacent California Adventure theme park are also at risk, authorities say, as are those who visited the Parkway Plaza Mall in El Cajon, near San Diego, on Dec. 29.

Most of the cases are in California, but two Disneyland visitors from Utah were also infected. "If you have symptoms and believe you may have been exposed, please contact your health care provider," a state health officer says in a statement. "The best way to prevent measles and its spread is to get vaccinated." Measles had almost vanished from the US, but there has been a rise in cases recently, with 62 confirmed cases in California last year, reports the Los Angeles Times. Health officials believe the rise in cases is linked to the anti-vaccination movement. (More Disneyland stories.)

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