In 2000, the federal government declared that the United States has eliminated measles, once a childhood scourge, due to a successful vaccination program. In 2015, there have been more than 80 confirmed cases of measles linked to perhaps only one person who had the disease while visiting two Disney theme parks in California.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is strongly urging parents to have their children vaccinated against measles. "A family vacation to an amusement park - or a trip to the grocery store, a football game or school - should not result in children becoming sickened by an almost 100% preventable disease," said Errol R. Alden, MD, the academy's executive director said in a statement.
The AAP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend that children receive the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and again between ages 4 and 6. The vaccine is safe and effective, according to the CDC.
This outbreak is thought to be due to a foreign tourist who was infected when he or she visited Disneyland or Disneyland California Adventure Park in mid-December. However, the spread of the disease through California, which has 68 of the confirmed cases, may have been helped by low vaccination rates there in recent years.
Anyone coming back from foreign travel can bring measles with them. "You never know when you might come across somebody that's come back from overseas," said Jane F. Seward, MPH, deputy director of the Division of Viral Diseases for the CDC. "You may pass them in the supermarket, you may pass them in the airport and not even know who it was, who exposed you."
Measles is a viral infection that spreads extremely easily. Symptoms usually appear with 7 to 14 days of exposure. Initial symptoms include a high fever, spots in the mouth, a runny nose, and red eyes. A rash that covers most of the body appears two to three days after the first signs. Usually measles lasts 7 to 10 days unless it is complicated by a bacterial infection or another viral infection, such as pneumonia. Measles can cause seizures, pneumonia, hearing loss, vomiting, diarrhea, brain infection, eye problems and even death. At one time, measles pneumonia had a death rate of 30%.
