Disneyland Measles Outbreak “Starting to Sweep the Country”

Photo Credit: CBS Baltimore By Christie Ileto. A health warning. The extremely contagious measles virus is back. An outbreak that started at Disneyland is starting to sweep the country.

Christie Ileto has the push for children to get vaccinated.

Measles was thought to have been eliminated in the U.S. 15 years ago. Now its back, targeting those who haven’t been immunized.

The outbreak that started in California’s Disneyland is expanding. At least 75 cases of measles span six states.

“It’s scary to think the happiest place on Earth is infected with measles,” one Disney employee said. (Read more about the measles outbreak in California HERE)

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Arizona Medical Director on Measles: “One of the Most Contagious Diseases Known to Man”

By Connie Sexton. A recent but rare case of the measles in Maricopa County has health officials reminding the public of the disease’s potential harm and the benefits of being vaccinated.

“It’s one of the most contagious diseases known to man,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, the county’s medical director for disease control. Although measles are extremely rare, one in a thousand cases leads to inflammation around the brain, deafness and cognitive impairment, and one to two cases in a thousand are fatal, she said. “The measles vaccine is one of the best we have. No vaccine is perfect, but this is almost 100 percent perfect.”

County officials hope those who have never been vaccinated will do so now, in light of the news Thursday that a woman in her 50s living in the county tested positive for measles. Officials believe it’s likely the woman contracted the disease Dec. 15-20 while visiting Disneyland, which has been linked to an outbreak in California, Sunenshine said. (Read more from this story HERE)

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