--- title: Disney Measles Outbreak Puts Focus on Anti-Vaxxers description: The outbreak of the respiratory disease, which is caused by a highly communicable virus, at a Disney them park has increased the focus on parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. canonical: https://time.com/3681398/disney-measles-outbreak/ author: Jack Dickey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-24T14:49:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:01.609Z article:section: Health og:title: Disney Measles Outbreak Puts Focus on Anti-Vaxxers og:description: The outbreak of the respiratory disease, which is caused by a highly communicable virus, at a Disney them park has increased the focus on parents who choose not to vaccinate their children og:url: https://time.com/3681398/disney-measles-outbreak/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt893010f831403d75/69877bbecd684830f209950d/disneyland1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4619 og:image:height: 2598 og:image:alt: Measles California og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Disney Measles Outbreak Puts Focus on Anti-Vaxxers twitter:description: The outbreak of the respiratory disease, which is caused by a highly communicable virus, at a Disney them park has increased the focus on parents who choose not to vaccinate their children twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt893010f831403d75/69877bbecd684830f209950d/disneyland1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Anti-Vaxxers Fingered in Disney Measles Outbreak > Sponsored content. 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TIME's Science Cop Jeffrey Kulger takes on the misinformation coming from opponents of childhood vaccinations_  by [Jack Dickey](https://time.com/author/jack-dickey/)  ## Jack Dickey Jan 24, 2015 2:49 PM UTC  People walk toward the Sleeping Beauty's Castle in the background at Disneyland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, in Anaheim, Calif. People walk toward the Sleeping Beauty's Castle in the background at Disneyland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, in Anaheim, Calif.Jae C. Hong—AP  by [Jack Dickey](https://time.com/author/jack-dickey/)  ## Jack Dickey Jan 24, 2015 2:49 PM UTC A spokesman for the California state health department has told [Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/24/usa-measles-disneyland-idUSL1N0V21Q120150124) that he believes “unvaccinated individuals have been the principal factor” in a mid-December measles outbreak at Disneyland that has infected more than 70 people in six western states and Mexico, including five Disney employees. The outbreak of the respiratory disease, which is caused by a highly communicable virus, has [increased the focus](http://time.com/3664553/disneyland-measles-antivaxxers/) on parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. Measles was thought to have been eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning the disease is not native to the U.S. (Nonetheless, 644 measles cases were reported in America in 2014.) But it is not uncommon in the rest of the world, and healthcare officials presume an infected foreigner brought the virus to Disneyland or the accompanying Disneyland Adventure Theme Park in Anaheim, Calif., between Dec. 15 and 20. Of the 34 California measles victims whose vaccination history could be ascertained, 28 had not received the measles shot. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control recommend that children first receive the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine at the age of 12-15 months and then again between their fourth and sixth birthdays. \[[Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/24/usa-measles-disneyland-idUSL1N0V21Q120150124)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3681398/disney-measles-outbreak/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3681398/disney-measles-outbreak/"},"headline":"Anti-Vaxxers Fingered in Disney Measles Outbreak","datePublished":"2015-01-24T14:49:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:00:01.609Z","description":"Doctors group urges measles shots as Disneyland outbreak spreads","url":"https://time.com/3681398/disney-measles-outbreak/","keywords":["measles","Disneyland","outbreak"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt893010f831403d75/69877bbecd684830f209950d/disneyland1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Dickey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-dickey/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt893010f831403d75/69877bbecd684830f209950d/disneyland1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Measles California","caption":"Measles California","creditText":"Jae C. 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