A number of Disneyland workers have been diagnosed with measles as an outbreak traced to the theme park billed as "The Happiest Place On Earth" continues to spread, health officials said Tuesday night.
"There is evidence of ongoing measles transmission in Orange County and at Disneyland Parks," Nicole Stanfield, spokeswoman for the Orange County Health Care Agency, said in a statement.
"Several Disneyland employees in multiple jurisdictions" have been diagnosed with measles, Stanfield said. She added: "This is not unexpected."
But that marks the first time that resort workers have been confirmed as part of an outbreak that has now sickened more than 50 people in California and that spans at least three other states and Mexico.
In Orange County, home to Disneyland and the area hardest hit by this outbreak, 18 people have been found to carry the illness. That includes five children — four of whom were never vaccinated for measles — and 13 adults. The immunization records of those adults remain unclear. Among that same group, 11 people had spent time at Disneyland since Dec. 17, but seven others with measles contracted the virus elsewhere in the county, health officials said.
IN-DEPTH:
- Measles Outbreak Spreads in California, Other States
- Disneyland Measles Outbreak Stirs Vaccine Debate
- Measles Cases Surge in U.S., Fueled By Unvaccinated Travelers