ATLANTA (WKZO) — Health officials say it appears the outbreak of the Measles that began at Disneyland, probably originated overseas, and was brought in to the amusement park either by a foreign tourist or an American who had just been abroad.
The CDC has just announced that the outbreak continues to spread. It has now made 84 people ill in 14 states, including one adult in Michigan
The CDC is calling it a “wake-up call”.
Dr. David Davenport at Borgess Medical Center says those numbers may seem low, but this disease is so contagious, it only takes one person to trigger an outbreak.
He says the Measles virus will live on surfaces for days and is also capable of airborne transmission.
An infected person can be breathing in a room, and actually infect the air for the next two hours.
An infected person will pass on the virus to nine of the ten unvaccinated people he comes in contact with. Its far more contagious than the flu.
In fact California is closing schools, cancelling large gatherings and telling children who have not been vaccinated to just stay home for three weeks to try to halt the spread.
Dr. Davenport says nearly 14% of Michigan’s population has not been vaccinated against Measles, making Michigan the 10th from the bottom when it comes to the percentage of the population that is immune.
He says if they don’t stop it now, it could get out of control.
Arizona is monitoring a thousand people who may have been exposed.
Arizona is the site of this weekend’s Super Bowl. There are now fears that if fans traveling to the game are exposed, they could carry it back to their home states all over the country.
