Woman with measles attends 'Avengers: Endgame' screener, puts hundreds at risk of contracting the virus
A California woman with measles reportedly went to the opening screening of 'Avengers: Endgame' in Orange County, potentially putting hundreds of other movie-goers at risk from the virus. The woman, who hasn't been identified yet, attended the midnight viewing, spanning from 11 pm on April 26 to 4 am.
As per reports, the woman was rushed to the hospital emergency room hours later, where she received her measles diagnosis. Health officials, as per the Daily Mail, say the woman is in her 20s and had recently returned from a vacation in Vietnam, where there is a measles outbreak.
The infected woman has now voluntarily quarantined herself at her home in Orange County. Meanwhile, officials are trying to identify anyone who might have been exposed at the AMC movie theater in Fullerton, where the film screening was held.
Measles cannot be treated or cured, and it is incredibly infectious. Reports suggest that 90 percent of people exposed to the virus will catch it if they haven't been vaccinated, and the infection can even be contacted by being in the same room as a measles patient within two hours of them being there.
As of now, health officials are urging anyone who believes they were exposed to the virus to check their vaccine record and call their doctor for advice. It is not possible to vaccinate against the virus after contracting it, though there are some ways doctors can try to dampen the virus in pregnant women and people with suppressed immune systems.
Following a rise in the number of patients with the infection, an emergency has been declared in two states with the total number of reported cases rising to 465 in the country as of April 4, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A total of 19 states in the US have reported cases of measles outbreak with Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Nevada witnessing their first cases of the year.
Other states that have been affected include New York, Washington DC, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, and Texas.