As measles outbreaks continue to pop up across the country, an entire movie theater audience in Orange County, California may have been unwittingly exposed to the virus. A Placentia woman in her 20s who had recently traveled abroad is currently under voluntary home isolation after having been diagnosed with measles, and officials have confirmed that she was considered infectious between April 23 and May 1.
During that time, the unidentified woman attended a screening of Avengers: Endgame at an AMC movie theater in Fullerton at the premiere last Thursday, potentially putting hundreds of people at risk. All it takes to contract the disease is being in close proximity to an infected person who coughs or sneezes, and up to 90 percent of those who are not immune will become infected. So in other words, your odds in a jam-packed movie theater are not great!
Measles are at the highest level in the United States right now with over 700 cases this year alone, which should terrify people considering that less than twenty years ago in 2000, the disease had been declared eliminated. Last month, New York City declared a public health emergency due to a Williamsburg, Brooklyn measles outbreak, and Mayor Bill de Blasio mandated that all unvaccinated individuals living in the area would be required to take the vaccination or face possible fines.
(Via CBS News)