Four-month-old baby Mobius Loop is up to date on American Academy of Pediatrics recommended vaccinations, but at his tender age, it’s too early for his measles shot. It was during a January 18 family trip to Disneyland that Baby Mobius is believed to have contracted the highly contagious measles disease–and his mother posted her “mixed feelings” online.
Baby Loop’s parents report knew of the mid-December Disneyland measles outbreak, but after a month had passed, they decided it was safe and used their season passes to visit the park, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.
Two weeks after visiting the park, Baby Mobius began exhibiting symptoms consistent with measles. Though her baby boy is on the mend, mother Ariel is outraged, as indicated in a recent Facebook post. “I’m furious that we’re now part of the problem,” she wrote. “During the four days he was contagious before his rash appeared, we went out to eat twice, ran countless errands, and have potentially infected other kids who are too young to have to go through this.”
Only 9 of the 107 confirmed California cases of measles have occurred in children less than 12 months of age since the start of the Disneyland outbreak on December 17, 2014. The measles vaccine may be administered at one year of age. The overwhelming majority, 60%, of confirmed measles cases in California since then have occurred in adults 20 years of age or older as of February 9, reports the California Department of Public Health.
Just over a week ago, a Santa Monica High School day care center shut down after a measles case showed up in an infant and left a number of other babies exposed.
Mrs. Loop closes her message by encouraging parents to vaccinate their children: “Please, don’t put other families through this.”
Heated debate continues over vaccinations, their safety and their role in the increase in cases since the disease was declared eliminated from the United States in the year 2000. A recently released study of electronic medical records of northern California children found under-vaccination more common among graduate-level educated populations and low-income communities.
The Centers for Disease Control reports 121 cases of measles across 17 states from January 1 to February 6, 2015. Most cases are noted as connected to the Disneyland outbreak.
While infected persons are generally contagious four days before and after a rash first appears, those exposed and contracting the disease may not start to see symptoms until 21 days after exposure.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.