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Credit: Inside the MagicThousands of Disney fans who attended a recent popular event in Cincinnati are being warned by health officials that they have been exposed to measles, the increasingly resurgent and dangerous virus spreading across the United States.
Measles is one of the most preventable (via vaccine) infectious diseases in the world, which, until recently, had been on the decline for decades. Since the 1980s, deaths due to the airborne virus had plummeted from the millions worldwide to less than 100,000 a year by the mid-2010s, entirely due to safe, widely accessible vaccines (per the Center for Disease Control). However, due to widespread medical misinformation and the COVID-19 pandemic, immunization of children for measles is at its lowest point since 2008 (per the World Health Organization).
Related: Warning Signs Erected Near Disney: Rare Deadly Virus Discovered
In 2024, so far, there have been measles outbreaks across the United States, which seem to be increasing at a worrying rate. Currently, most measles cases have been found in Southern California, Chicago, New York City, and Florida; the latter has particularly been a hotbed of the virus, arguably because of misinformation regarding vaccines from Governor Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.
Notably, after six different measles cases were discovered at an elementary school, Ladapo issued a letter (per South Florida Sun Sentinel) stating that, though it was recommended that non-vaccinated children stay home for 21 days after potential exposure, “Due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.”
This has been particularly worrisome for the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, which has begun to be threatened by the rising level of measles around it. Given that Disney World has literally millions of visitors a year, it is at an enormously high risk of becoming a breeding ground for the measles virus. It does not help that a recent study shows that unvaccinated individuals, i.e., those at the highest risk of contracting the virus, are also most likely to visit theme parks and, accordingly, be around children.
While Disney World has not yet had a confirmed measles case, the Cincinnati Health Department has announced that attendees of Disney on Ice at the Heritage Bank Center were exposed to the virus on March 8. Although attendance numbers for the event are not available, the HBC is the largest indoor arena in the greater Cincinnati area, with a maximum capacity of 17,556 people. It is not unreasonable to infer that thousands of Disney fans were likely in attendance and may have been exposed.
Related: Disney World at Risk as Severe Virus Spreads Through Florida Children
According to health officials, attendees of the Disney On Ice performance or anyone who was in the HBC up to two hours after the show ended may have been exposed to measles. Symptoms of measles include (per CDC), “Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Measles rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms.”
Health officials in Cincinnati have also warned those potentially exposed at the Disney on Ice event to not immediately seek testing at hospitals or medical facilities, due to the possibility of large crowds creating further infections.
Inside the Magic reached out to the Cincinnati Health Department for comment, but has not heard back by the time of publishing.
What do you think of the increasing number of measles outbreaks? Tell us in the comments below.