Disneyland-related measles outbreak rises to 87 cases

LOS ANGELES – Officials have now confirmed at least 87 cases of measles in seven states and Mexico, as the outbreak centered in California continues to spread.

The California Department of Public Health said Monday there are now 73 cases in the state, of which 50 can be linked directly to Disneyland. Some people who were contagious visited in January as well as December.

Officials also reported four new measles patients in Arizona who visited Disneyland, bringing Arizona’s total number of Disneyland-related patients to five. Cases connected to Disneyland also have been confirmed in Utah (3), Washington state (2), Oregon (1), Colorado (1), Nebraska (1) and Mexico (1).

The measles outbreak has also expanded beyond those who visited Disneyland in December and January and is infecting people in the broader community.

Orange County now has 23 confirmed cases. Los Angeles County follows with 15 cases and San Diego County with 13.

The California patients range in age from 7 months to 70 years. The vaccination status is known for at least 39 of the patients. Of those, 32 were unvaccinated and seven were fully vaccinated.

Of the cases in California, about 1 in 4 people has had to be hospitalized, officials said.

Health officials are urging people suspected of having the measles to first call their health provider before going to a clinic, enabling caregivers to make special preparations so patients don’t risk infecting others in the waiting room. An urgent-care clinic in the San Diego suburb of La Mesa was forced to shut down for a few hours when five people arrived with a rash.

After Disneyland officials confirmed that five of its employees had been diagnosed with measles, all Disneyland employees who could have been in contact with those five were asked to provide vaccination records or do a blood test that showed they had built immunity to the disease.

Any employees who had not been vaccinated or could not confirm their immunity status were asked to go on paid leave.

Health care officials said it was safe to go to Disneyland and other venues with large crowds if you were immunized for measles.

“I think it is absolutely safe for you to go to Disneyland if you’re vaccinated,” said Dr. Gil Chavez, California state epidemiologist.

But he cautioned that those with infants too young to be immunized should avoid large crowds where international travelers are concentrated, such as theme parks and airports. Six of the California cases occurred in infants who were too young to be immunized, state officials said.