Disney World at Risk as Severe Virus Spreads Through Florida Children

A virus is reportedly sweeping through Florida, and it could affect your upcoming Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando trip.

Back in 2020, COVID-19 was originally expected to shut the theme parks down for just two weeks. Instead, the parks would be closed for several months, only to reopen with strict safety and crowd control measures in place that are only just now starting to fade out. The pandemic started a wave of conversations about the viability of vaccines and protective measures, that seems to have spread to other well-regulated illnesses. In the last year, Inside the Magic has covered reports of blank and blank on the rise, as well as a recent uptick in syphilis cases. Now, you can, unfortunately, add measles to the list of things to watch for.

In a recent letter from Joseph Ladapo, the Florida State Surgeon General, parents in the Broward County School District were warned of the following.

“There is a cluster of measles cases that has been identified at Manatee Bay Elementary…Measles can be transmitted four days prior to the start of symptoms…Because of the high likelihood of infection, it is normally recommended that children stay home until the end of the infectious period…However, due to the high immunity rate in the community…DOH [Department of Health] is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance…Broward County School District is prepared to provide continuous learning to all children at Manatee Bay Elementary School whose parents/guardians choose to keep them at home.”

Related: Disney Announces Permanent Changes To Magic Kingdom

You can read the letter in full on Dr. Katelyn Jetelina’s X/Twitter post here.

The typical response to a public health crisis involving measles is to keep unvaccinated children at home until the outbreak is over. The incubation, or contagious, period is usually around 21 days and can be transmitted within the first four days of a person feeling ill. According to STAT News, “Public health experts were taken aback by seeing a state surgeon general effectively tell parents they can ignore what public health considers to be best practice for containment of a measles outbreak — though they acknowledged that the policy was in keeping with Ladapo’s earlier pronouncements on Covid vaccines.”

Related: Former Disney Chief Says Company Is “Broken,” Blames Bob Iger

Measles is highly contagious and can be easily and rapidly spread to others through coughing, sneezing, or touching an infected surface. According to the CDC, the virus “is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.” The STAT article continues on, describing the effects that the measles virus could have on unvaccinated children.

“Measles is a nasty infection, involving an itchy, total body rash. Most people who contract measles survive, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people who are infected will be hospitalized. One in 20 infected kids — before widespread use of measles vaccine, this was a disease of early childhood — will develop pneumonia, and about 1 in 1,000 will develop encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, which can leave a child deaf or cognitively impaired.”

While Broward County is technically southern Florida, encompassing the Fort Lauderdale area, it’s highly possible the virus could spread to other parts of the state, including Orlando. Considering the hundreds of thousands of people that visit the Orlando theme parks each day, this could mean the start of a measles outbreak. The decision by Ladapo to keep the elementary school open is highly controversial, already facing backlash from health officials and other parents. The STAT article also issues this warning for future visitors to the state:

“Mina and Jetelina both suggested families with unvaccinated children — either by choice or because the children are too young to be vaccinated — might want to rethink spring break plans if they intend to travel to the Miami area. Likewise pregnant people who have no immunity against measles; infection during pregnancy can result in premature delivery or low birth weight babies.”

This warning could eventually extend to Disney and Universal, so be sure to be aware of whether or not your children are up to date on vaccinations. The Orlando theme parks have often been called a “hot bed” for the spread of viruses like the flu or common cold, but that also means other, more serious viruses can spread just as quickly. Just last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared Florida a “high risk” state for contagious virus activity.

If you or a loved one you’re traveling with feel sick, you may want to consider altering vacation plans if at all possible.

Do you think this latest outbreak could make its way to the Disney parks? Let us know what you think of the situation in the comments below.