LOS ANGELES — Officials have now confirmed at least 87 cases of measles in seven states and Mexico, as the outbreak centered in California continues to spread.
The California Department of Public Health said Monday there were now 73 cases in the state, of which 50 can be linked directly to Disneyland. Some people who were contagious visited in January as well as December.
Officials also reported four new measles patients in Arizona who visited Disneyland, bringing Arizona’s number of Disneyland-related patients to five. Cases linked to Disneyland also have been confirmed in Utah (3), Washington state (2), Oregon (1), Colorado (1), Nebraska (1) and Mexico (1).
The measles outbreak has also expanded beyond those who visited Disneyland in December and January and is infecting people in the broader community.
Nine California counties have confirmed measles cases: Alameda, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Ventura. Orange County now has 23 confirmed cases. Los Angeles County follows with 15 cases and San Diego County with 13.
The California patients range in age from 7 months to 70 years. The vaccination status is known for at least 39 of the patients. Of those, 32 were unvaccinated and seven were fully vaccinated.
Of the cases in California, about 1 in 4 has had to be hospitalized, officials said.
Across California, officials have been scrambling to get ahead of the outbreak, identifying farmers markets, grocery stores, malls and other public locations where contagious people have been.
Health officials are urging people suspected of having the measles to first call their health provider before going to a clinic, enabling caregivers to make special preparations so patients don’t risk infecting others in the waiting room.
An urgent-care clinic in the San Diego suburb of La Mesa was forced to shut down for a few hours when five people arrived with a rash. Anyone without proof of vaccination who came in contact with the five at the clinic was put under a mandatory quarantine for 21 days.
Health care officials said it was safe to go Disneyland and other venues with large crowds if you were immunized for measles.
