HEALTH SCARE

Theme Park Visitors Given Urgent Measles Warning

The disease is reaching record-high infection rates.

A measles-infected visitor spent 11 hours at the Universal Studios theme park, and now health officials are warning other attendees. The Los Angeles County Public Health Department issued a warning on Wednesday to visitors to the Hollywood theme park between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. on July 26. “With summer travel underway, the risk of exposure to infectious diseases may increase,” said Muntu Davis, the Los Angeles County Health Officer. “We urge everyone to confirm their immunity and get the MMR vaccine if needed, especially before traveling and attending crowded events.” Just days before the news, vaccine-skeptic Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went against his usual anti-vaccine rhetoric, encouraging vaccination for the severely contagious disease amid the highest number of cases seen in 35 years. There have been more recorded measles cases in his term than there have been in the rest of the 21st century. Health officials from the county warn that people who attended the park on July 26 may be at risk of developing symptoms for up to 21 days after exposure.