O.C. measles cases reach 16

Orange County’s measles outbreak continues to grow, with 16 cases confirmed by the county Health Care Agency. That includes five cases added Friday.

Ten people are believed to have been infected after visiting Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks in Anaheim in December, said agency spokeswoman Deanne Thompson.

Another patient whose infection is not believed to be related to the Disney cases was identified as a male student at Huntington Beach High School who had not been vaccinated for measles.

County health officials said they are unsure where the five other patients became infected.

Health Care Agency officials said they are unable to point to specific cities where the disease is present.

“We know that it’s circulating in the entire community,” Thompson said.

The California Department of Public Health has reported 26 cases of measles statewide in recent weeks.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that starts with a fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes and sore throat and is followed by a rash that spreads all over the body. Initial symptoms usually begin eight to 12 days after exposure, with the rash appearing two to four days later, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Prevention steps

Measles can be prevented with the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, which is traditionally administered at age 1. The second dose is given when a child is 4 to 6 years old.

Those infected with the virus in Orange County range from infancy to 57 years old. Of the patients for whom information was provided, six were completely unvaccinated, Thompson said. Two others had received one of the recommended doses, and two are unsure of their immunization status.

Two patients had been fully vaccinated, Thompson said, showing that the vaccine is not always effective.

“If you have been immunized, you might still develop measles, but you would become less sick than if you weren’t vaccinated at all,” she said.

People with certain immune system disorders can’t receive the vaccine, Thompson said. “Those people rely on all of the rest of us to be vaccinated,” she said.

Officials say that if you suspect you have been infected, you should call your health-care provider but don’t go to the doctor’s office.

“If the doctors don’t have an isolated room or place where they can see you safely, you could infect other people, which is the last thing we want,” Thompson said.

An infected person who coughs or sneezes can leave droplets containing the virus on surfaces, Thompson said.

“If you enter that room an hour later, you could still be infected,” she said.

Staff writer Anthony Clark Carpio contributed to this report.