California declares Disneyland measles outbreak over as vaccine fight rages on

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/17/california-declares-disneyland-measles-outbreak-over

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Health authorities in California on Friday announced an end to the large measles outbreak that spread from Disneyland several months ago, and sickened nearly 150 people in the US alone.

The California department of public health said no new infections had been reported in the past 42 days, equivalent to two incubation periods for possible measles infection. This effectively means the outbreak is over in the United States.

“Having this measles outbreak behind us is a significant accomplishment,” said state epidemiologist Dr Gil Chavez.

Related: Watch how the measles outbreak spreads when kids get vaccinated – and when they don't

The outbreak spread after an infected person visited Disneyland in December, and spread by and large by parents who refused to properly immunize their children, a study published last month concluded.

This preliminary analysis showed that “substandard vaccination compliance is likely to blame for the 2015 measles outbreak”, the authors of the study wrote in a research letter published in the JAMA Pediatrics journal.

Though no deaths were reported in the US, the rapid spread of measles cases in the US sickened 147 people across seven states. The outbreak also spread to Canada and Mexico.

The outbreak triggered a nationwide debate about vaccinations, which does not look set to abate, as legislators attempt to enact mandatory vaccination.

In the wake of the outbreak, which infected 134 people in California alone, state lawmakers introduced a bill which would seek to bar parents from seeking vaccine exemptions for their children on grounds of religious or personal beliefs. Medical waivers would only be available for children with health problems, with the bill effectively forcing unvaccinated children to be homeschooled.

But after heated debate pitted personal rights against public health, the proposed legislation stalled in the state senate on Wednesday, with lawmakers saying the bill could deprive children of an adequate education by barring them from schools.

Hundreds packed the Capitol halls, with about 600 opponents present, and 100 voicing support. The bill has received public backing from the senate’s leading lawmaker, as well as broad support from doctors, hospitals, teachers, public health officials, local governments and unions.

The vote has been postponed until next week. If the bill passes, California will become the largest state to bar exemptions from vaccines, joining Mississippi and West Virginia, which already have such rules.

Public health officials have reiterated that vaccination rates must be high in order for a population to be protected against infection. Though measles has been eradicated from the US for years, outbreaks have still occurred when travelers become infected abroad and spread the virus among unvaccinated populations.

Though the Disneyland outbreak is now over in the US, it has remained a problem in the Canadian province of Quebec, where 159 people were sickened after someone visited the theme park and returned home. Most belong to a tight-knit religious community with a low vaccination rate.