California Department of Public Health Confirms 59 Cases of Measles, 42 Linked to Disneyland - East Idaho News
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California Department of Public Health Confirms 59 Cases of Measles, 42 Linked to Disneyland

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Thinkstock 012115 Disneyland?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1421899788487Photo by David McNew/Getty Images(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The California Department of Public Health says it has confirmed 59 cases of measles in the state since the end of December 2014, 42 of which are linked to the exposure at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim.

Included in those figures are five Disney employees, the CDPH confirmed Wednesday. The agency also says that cases linked to the Disney parks have been found in Mexico, Utah, Washington, Colorado and Oregon.

The individuals who have contracted the disease in California range from seven months to 70 years old. At least 28 of those in California were not vaccinated against the disease.

The CDPH says that vaccination is the foremost key to preventing measles, and that two doses of the MMR vaccine (for measles, mumps and rubella) are more than 99 percent effective in preventing the disease.

While the measles have been eradicated in the United States since 2000, measles outbreaks can still occur in other nations, and locations where international travelers may go — such as airports and theme parks — could result in domestic transmission of the disease.


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