In the last days of March, a traveler carrying measles moved quietly through Los Angeles County, through a gym before dawn, a theme park's doughnut stand, and a few evening meals, and the sickness he or she carried now waits in the bodies of strangers for up to three weeks. The warning reached the public only in mid-April, a reminder that an illness once tamed by a vaccine still travels with the ordinary rhythms of modern life. It arrives as the country's count of cases climbs toward the whole of last year's total, returning a disease many had nearly forgotten to a place where its spread depen
Measles Cases Climb as Infected Tourist Exposes Visitors at Universal Studios and Across Los Angeles
Dozens of people were potentially exposed at Los Angeles-area sites, and more than 60 people in a Chicago outbreak, largely at a migrant shelter, have been infected.
Nearly all American kids once had measles; now it is back in crowds.
Mark
Why does a tourist at a theme park worry officials so much?
Mimi
Crowds. The itinerary runs from a hotel gym to Universal Studios to the Santa Monica Pier, and California remembers Disneyland in 2015, when an infected visitor led to dozens of cases.
Luke
But nobody has reported new infections from this visit yet. What we have is an exposure list, not an outbreak.
Mimi
Right. The 21-day window is why it's still open.
Mark
The national numbers sound alarming. 113 cases?
Mimi
As of April 5, with seven outbreaks accounting for 73%. The CDC says first-quarter cases were 17 times the usual pace.
Luke
Worth noting that the CDC authors also said detection and response look good. The warning is about elimination status, not a failure of the system.
Mark
Where is it coming from?
Mimi
Mostly international travel, and most recent importations were unvaccinated Americans infected in the Middle East and Africa.
Luke
And the article doesn't say this tourist's origin or vaccination status. That's unknown.
Mark
So what should someone who visited those places do?
Mimi
Check their vaccination status, and watch for symptoms for 21 days. Some times at the sites are still undetermined, and more locations are being investigated.
Il Polso
- An infected traveler's weekend route across Los Angeles County has turned ordinary places, from a hotel gym to Universal Studios, into possible points of contagion.
- Health officials publicized the exposures only after state and county agencies coordinated, leaving residents to scramble to check their vaccination records.
- Anyone at the listed sites could fall ill within 21 days, and several exposure times remain unknown while investigators probe more locations.
- US cases have reached 113, with first-quarter infections 17 times the usual pace, and the outlook hinges on whether unvaccinated travelers spark new outbreaks.
In the last days of March, a traveler carrying measles moved quietly through Los Angeles County, through a gym before dawn, a theme park's doughnut stand, and a few evening meals, and the sickness he or she carried now waits in the bodies of strangers for up to three weeks. The warning reached the public only in mid-April, a reminder that an illness once tamed by a vaccine still travels with the ordinary rhythms of modern life. It arrives as the country's count of cases climbs toward the whole of last year's total, returning a disease many had nearly forgotten to a place where its spread depends on how many people remain shielded by immunity.
Over one weekend at the end of March, an infected tourist passed through Los Angeles County. Before dawn, they worked out at a hotel gym near the airport. They ate at a doughnut stand inside Universal Studios, visited an ice cream shop in Beverly Hills, and ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Marina del Rey. The county did not announce the visit until April 13, after state health officials alerted local authorities to the infection.
Anyone at those places between March 30 and April 1 may develop measles within 21 days. Officials have listed the sites and are still investigating others, and they urged people to confirm they are vaccinated, since those who have never had measles or the vaccine are most at risk. California has learned how fast this disease can spread in crowded places, since a 2015 outbreak that began at Disneyland sickened dozens.
The Los Angeles exposure is part of a national surge. The CDC counted 113 cases as of April 5, most tied to international travel, and first-quarter cases were 17 times the average for recent years. Health authorities say they are responding well, but warn that the rise threatens the country's measles elimination status. Chicago has been hit hardest, with more than 60 infections, many at a migrant shelter.
The disease is serious: it can linger in the air for two hours and infects up to nine in ten susceptible people exposed. Vaccination rates have slipped below the roughly 95% needed to block spread in many areas. The coming weeks will show whether anyone exposed in Los Angeles becomes ill.
Over a single weekend at the end of March, an infected tourist moved through Los Angeles County: a hotel gym near the airport before dawn, a doughnut stand inside Universal Studios, a Mexican restaurant in Marina del Rey in the evening. Health officials did not publicize the visit until Saturday, April 13, after the California Department of Public Health notified the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health of the infection.
The traveler was in the county from Saturday, March 30, to Monday, April 1. Anyone who was at the listed places could develop measles within 21 days of the exposure date, officials said. On March 30, the list includes the Sheraton Gateway Hotel and its gym at 6101 W. Century Blvd. (the gym from 5:30 to 8 a.m.), and a Denny's at 5535 W. Century Blvd. It also includes Universal Studios, Buca Di Beppo at about noon, Cletus Chicken Shack at about 4 p.m., Lard Lad Doughnuts and an EC Food Truck inside the park, and Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream on North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills.
On Sunday, March 31, the gym again from 5:30 to 8 a.m., a Jack in the Box on West Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood at about 11 a.m., Pier Gear on the Santa Monica Pier, and El Torito in Marina del Rey from 6 to 8 p.m. On Monday, April 1, the Sheraton and the Denny's appear again. Several of the times are still undetermined, and officials said other possible exposure sites are under investigation. They advised anyone who was at these places to confirm their vaccination status, since people who have never had measles or the vaccine are at risk.
California has reason to take theme-park exposure seriously. One of its largest outbreaks in recent years began at Disneyland in 2015, when an infected visitor sickened dozens of people.
The Los Angeles case sits inside a national rise. The CDC counted 113 cases as of April 5, across seven outbreaks that account for 73% of them. Most cases trace to international travel, and Austria, the Philippines, Romania and the United Kingdom are among the places with outbreaks. A CDC report released Thursday, April 11, found first-quarter cases 17 times higher than the average for the same period in the previous three years. Most recent importations involved unvaccinated Americans infected in the Middle East and Africa. The authors said health officials are detecting and responding to outbreaks well, but called the rapid first-quarter increase a renewed threat to the country's measles elimination status.
Other California exposures came earlier this year. In February, an infected international traveler landed at Los Angeles International Airport and went straight to a fast food restaurant, setting off a trail of exposure notices. On March 9, a restaurant in Alameda County was named as a possible exposure site. Last month, hundreds of people at UC Davis Medical Center were exposed after an infected child was seen there, according to Sacramento County Public Health. Elsewhere, cases have been confirmed in 17 states, including New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago. Chicago's outbreak, centered largely on a migrant shelter, accounts for more than half of this year's cases, with 61 infected as of Thursday.
The CDC says up to 9 in 10 susceptible people exposed will catch measles, which spreads by breathing, coughing and sneezing, and can linger in the air for two hours. Before the vaccine arrived in 1963, the U.S. saw 3 million to 4 million cases a year. In the decade before, about 48,000 people were hospitalized annually, roughly 1,000 developed brain inflammation, and 400 to 500 died. Susan Hassig, an infectious disease researcher at Tulane University, said people should remember that this is a preventable disease that can be dangerous to children.
Keeping measles from spreading takes about 95% immunity. National kindergarten vaccination rates fell to 93% during the pandemic and have stayed there, driven partly by record numbers of waivers. California reported 96.3% of kindergartners with two MMR doses in 2021-2022, though 16 counties were below 95%. The next three weeks will show whether anyone exposed in Los Angeles falls ill.
Citazioni salienti
People need to remember that this is a preventable disease, and potentially dangerous for their children.— Susan Hassig, infectious disease researcher, Tulane University (paraphrased)
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