California Alert After Disneyland Measles Outbreak

California is battling a surge of measles cases clustered around the famous Disneyland theme park, despite the virus being all but eliminated in the United States, authorities said Thursday.

The California Department of Public Health reported on its website that 59 cases of measles had been recorded since the end of December.

"Of the confirmed cases, 42 have been linked to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California," the health department said. Five of the cases involved Disney employees.

"Initial exposures occurred in December, but additional confirmed cases visited Disney parks while infectious in January," the department added on its website.

Measles is highly contagious and can be spread through the air without physical contact. Infection usually begins with a fever followed by a cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and a rash.

The health department said the spate of cases underscored the need for vaccinations against the illness. Twenty-eight cases from 34 for which data was available involved individuals who had not been vaccinated.

Measles has been officially eradicated from the United States since 2000 while remaining widespread in other regions including Europe, Africa and Asia.

Authorities said the best protection for children remained the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.

An anti-vaccination movement in recent years has emerged, particularly in North America, amid fears the MMR vaccine causes autism, despite an array of studies which have contradicted those concerns.