More cases of the measles in Arizona have been reported and health officials believe that they too are linked to the recent Disney theme parks outbreak.
The Arizona Republic reported that the cases of a man from Pinal County and a woman from Maricopa County were confirmed on Tuesday. Both may have had contact with a family who contracted measles after a trip to Disneyland. Furthermore, the woman could have exposed nearly 200 people at the Phoenix Children's East Valley Center to the disease.
Will Humble, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services said the measles outbreak has reached "a critical point” in the state and the number of those infected will “absolutely”continue to grow.
As previously reported, the outbreak has been traced back to two Disney theme parks in California and is thought to have occurred between Dec. 15 and Dec. 20. And, last week, health officials urged those who are unvaccinated not visit the parks at this time.
The MMR vaccine protects against the disease, however, children under a year old are too young to be vaccinated and are at risk.
Measles is an infectious viral disease which causes fevers and a red rash.