A midnight screening of Marvel's Avengers: Endgame might have exposed an unknown number of moviegoers in Orange County, California to measles.
Authorities warned those who watched the box office hit on premiere night, April 25 (Thursday), at the AMC Dine-In Fullerton 20 between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. should watch out for symptoms of the highly contagious disease. The Orange County Health Care warned that everyone who was in the building at the time could have been exposed to measles.
The local public health officials said that the warning also applies to everyone who went inside the building at 5 Houston Center drive in Santa Ana from Wednesday, April 24, to Friday, April 27.
Woman Exposes Entire Movie Theater To Measles
An unnamed 20-something woman from Placentia in Northern Orange County attended the midnight screening last week. According to authorities, the patient had not known that she is a carrier of the disease before she went into the cinema to watch the movie.
She reportedly caught the disease when she traveled to a country that is currently experiencing measles outbreak. It is unclear whether she was vaccinated. She has gone into voluntary isolation at her home.
The Health Care Agency said that they are trying to reach the people who might have been exposed to measles. They are advising anyone who were at the aforementioned area to check their vaccination record. Children, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems are at high risk of getting the disease.
This is the first confirmed case of measles in Orange County this year.
Measles Outbreak In The US
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 704 individual cases of measles across 22 states, including California, from Jan. 1 to April 26, 2019. Over 500 of the 704 patients have not received vaccination.
The highly contagious disease was thought to be eliminated in the United States in 2000.
Measles is spread through coughing and sneezing. According to public health expert, about 90 percent of people who are at the close vicinity of a patient will likely be infected if they have no immunization. Symptons of measles include high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, and rashes.
People who have the disease can transmit the virus four days before and four days after a rash appears. The MMR vaccine can safely and effectively fight measles, mumps, and rubella.
