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Getty ImagesFive Disneyland employees have been diagnosed with measles as the disease continues to spread.
Two of the infected employees had been vaccinated for measles, and health officials are still looking into whether the other workers had the vaccine, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Read more Hollywood’s Vaccine Wars: L.A.’s “Entitled” Westsiders Behind City’s Epidemic
“As soon as the OC Health Care Agency notified us on January 7, we immediately began to communicate to our Cast to raise awareness,” Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chief medical officer Dr. Pamela Hymel said in a statement. “To date, a few Cast Members have tested positive and some have been medically cleared and returned to work.” She added that employees who may have had contact with the affected individuals have been put on paid leave while they await test results.
A measles outbreak occurred after several people were exposed to the ailment while visiting Disneyland and Disney California Adventure between Dec. 17-20. The disease is now affecting people beyond those who were at the theme park, and there are currently 53 cases of measles.
Most of the patients live in Calif., but cases have also turned up in three other states and Mexico. Eighteen of the cases are in Orange County, Calif., and over 20 students at Huntington Beach High School who had not been vaccinated for measles are being kept out of classes until Jan. 29 after a student showed up with the disease.
Of the nine initial Disneyland visitors who were diagnosed with measles, seven had not been vaccinated, including two infants who were too young for the vaccine.
Measles patients can be infectious for up to nine days, and symptoms include fever, runny nose and inflamed eyes.
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