All it took was one non-vaccinated guest exposed to measles who visited Disneyland while they were infectious, but before symptoms developed, to create an outbreak that infected 131 people in California and dozens of others in at least seven other states, plus Canada and Mexico.
The ripples of that selfish refusal to vaccinate are still being felt today. Florida just announced it has its first case of measles that originated in the state. One non-vaccinated child is sick and 5 non-vaccinated children are isolated for 21 days until we know if they too contracted the disease.
There is some good news, however. California health officials have declared the measles outbreak over. As it takes 21 days for a person exposed to measles to develop symptoms, if no new cases are reported for 42 days, it is safe to say the outbreak is over.
Major kudos to the health professionals for working hard to keep this outbreak at a relatively small size. Also, Disneyland gets a star for the way it treated cast members who were at risk for infection. It protected employees who were at risk and offered free checks for those who weren’t sure.
How do you feel about the Disneyland measles outbreak? Are you glad its over. If you’ve been on the border about vaccinations, has this episode changed your mind?