Traveler exposes Disneyland visitors to measles last week
Here's a bummer of a story for Disneyland fans. Orange County health officials are warning that a person with infectious measles spent the day at the Disneyland Resort last Wednesday.
The traveler was from out of the country and arrived at Los Angeles International Airport [LAX] before visiting Disney. The person ate at Goofy’s Kitchen in Disneyland Hotel from 10:30am before visiting Disneyland and Disney California Adventure from about 12:30pm to closing on Wednesday.
Theme parks are efficient vectors for the spread of disease, with large collections of people from various walks of life put together in close quarters for extended periods, such as in queues. I remain convinced that a measles outbreak at Disneyland in 2015 was part of the reason why California state officials kept theme parks closed for over a year during the Covid pandemic.
There are no reports yet of infections resulting from exposure at Disneyland last week. Here is the advisory from Orange County. There is advice in there about immunoglobulin treatment for vulnerable people who may have been exposed. But you need to act now on that.
And here is my health tip, for even people who were not anywhere near Disney last week. Yes, follow your child's doctor's recommended vaccine schedule. But if you are an adult, ask your doctor for a titer panel if you have not had one in the past 10 years.
That's a blood test that checks your immunity to various diseases. When I last had a titer panel (in January of 2020 - timing!), I found that I had lost my immunity to measles, so I got a booster shot.
If you travel - and theme park fans do - it's especially important to stay on top of your immunity, not just for yourself but also for the people in the communities you will visit.
Replies (0)
You must be registered and logged in to submit a comment.
