Disneyland measles outbreak still spreading

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The measles outbreak that began at Disneyland during the holiday season is now spreading beyond people who contracted the disease at the theme park, with those patients now exposing others after returning to their hometowns, health officials said Saturday.

There are now 51 confirmed cases of the highly contagious virus across California, three other states and Mexico, and the Orange County Health Care Agency said the reports of new cases “indicate the measles outbreak will continue to spread.”

Health officials had hoped to contain the outbreak to Disneyland visitors who were at the park between Dec. 17 and 20.

Confirmed cases include residents of Colorado, Utah, Washington state and Mexico. Officials say many who have become ill were not vaccinated.

The measles vaccine was introduced in the U.S. in 1963, and for more than a decade the disease has been considered eliminated from the Western Hemisphere. But health officials have long said progress against measles was threatened by a growing anti-vaccination movement based on parents’ fears that the vaccine causes autism – a theory that has been thoroughly discredited by numerous scientific studies.