More measles cases are appearing by the day in an outbreak that began mid-December in the traveler-magnet Magic Kingdom in Anaheim, California. In numbers updated Friday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reports 91 cases confirmed within California and has reported 16 outside the state for a total 107 measles-infected persons.
Of the 91 California cases, 58 have been connected to the Disneyland Magic Kingdom outbreak. The 16 cases reported outside California are only those connected to the Disneyland cases.
Of the 16 cases connected to the Disneyland outbreak reported outside of California, 14 are located in seven other states and two in Mexico, as of Wednesday. California has stopped reporting on cases outside the state since then, citing tracking and reporting issues.
Some criticism has been directed at parents who have made their own choice not to vaccinate their children over concerns that severe side effects including high fever, seizures, and autism will have long-term adverse health effects in their children. A study that tracked northern Californian’s electronic medical records documented higher levels of under-vaccination in graduate-level educated as well as low-income communities.
Numerous doctors continue to claim no connection between vaccinations and autism and that no connection has been documented. However, there are parents that have chosen to not vaccinate younger children after older children have experienced adverse health effects subsequent to vaccination.
Public health officials have also urged adults to get a measles booster shot, even if they previously received the two-dose Measles vaccine series.
Many of those infected are unvaccinated. In January, Huntington Beach High School sent two dozen unvaccinated students home, one of which was already infected with the highly infectious disease.
In Fresno this week, a measles-infected man visited a hospital including its maternity ward, a grocery store, and a shopping mall.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
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