California's Disneyland resort has been tied to nine cases of the measles and is currently under investigation by the California Department of Public Health.
Health officials told the Los Angeles Times that park patrons likely contracted measles at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park between Dec. 15 and 20. Authorities theorize that one person infected with the disease visited the park and spread the measles.
"We are working with the health department to provide any information and assistance we can," Dr. Pamela Hymel, the chief medical officer Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, told the Times.
Seven of the measles cases are California residents spanning from eight months to 21 years old living in Alameda, Orange, Pasadena, Riverside, and
San Diego counties, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The two other alleged measles victims live in Utah.
Six of the California residents infected were not vaccinated for measles, including two who were too young to be vaccinated. One person had received a vaccination, the Mercury News noted.
Health officials have said because of the nine-day infectious period of normal measles patients, it is possible that others may have been exposed at other locations and have not yet come forward.
"If you have symptoms, and believe you may have been exposed, please contact your healthcare provider," California health officer Ron Chapman said in a statement. "The best way to prevent measles and its spread is to get vaccinated."
Measles, which was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, has made a comeback in recent years with an increasing number of parents refusing to vaccinate their children out of
fear for their safety, according to USA Today.
In 2014, health officials diagnosed measles in 554 people, up from 187 cases in 2013 and 55 cases in 2012,
according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Paul Offit, chief of infectious disease at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told USA Today that people can be at risk for the measles if they have not had the illness or two doses of the vaccine, which is more than 99 percent effective.
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