Dozens have been infected in a recent measles outbreak that started at Disneyland. Here’s what you need to know about this disease.
In December, measles broke out at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The virus infected 42 people at the park, five of whom were Disney employees.
So far this year, measles has infected 68 people in 11 states (and counting), aged from 7 months to 70 years. Although we've had a measles vaccine since 1963, most of these new infections hit unvaccinated people.
In the U.S., the measles vaccination rate is nearly 95%. This is generally high enough to keep the virus in check when it comes in from other countries. Outbreaks happen when clusters of unvaccinated people gather in the same area (such as in an amusement park), allowing the disease to spread rapidly.
Vaccinated people protect those who can't get a jab, such as young babies and people with certain allergies.
But some parents believe, despite loads of scientific research to the contrary, that vaccinations will increase their child's risk of autism. Some of them argue that there's nothing to fear, that measles is a mild disease and not worthy of a vaccination.
"Why is it that people are making this choice? I think the answer is that they don't fear the disease," Dr. Paul Offit, a professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told BuzzFeed News. "They haven't lived through an epidemic."
The last big U.S. outbreak was 1989–1991, so most people — even most doctors — don't remember how bad it was, he added.
So just how bad is it? Here are the basics.
Measles spreads through the air.
James Gathany/CDC / Via en.wikipedia.org
When someone infected with the measles coughs or sneezes, they spew droplets of virus that can live for up to two hours. "Small droplets hang in the air, like a ghost," Offit said.
If you breathe them in, the virus lodges itself in your throat and lungs. There it multiplies and spreads through the rest of the body.
Symptoms typically begin with a runny nose, 104+ degree fever, a cough, and red, watery eyes.
CDC/ Barbara Rice / Via phil.cdc.gov
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