李雨晨

People from all over the world visit Disneyland to have fun， not to get sick. But last week， an outbreak of measles spread from the Southern California theme park. As of Monday， January 19， at least 52 people have got the easily spread illness.

A rise in numbers

The majority of the reported cases of measles are from people who visited the park before. According to the California Department of Public Health， the time in which people were shown to the illness， at Disneyland occurred from December 17-20. All cases of measles from this show should have occurred by January 10， 2015.

Other cases are a result of show to infected park visitors. Officials believe the cause is likely someone who caught measles abroad and visited Disneyland， but this has yet to be proved. However， in 2014， California had its highest measles infection rate in nearly twenty years. There were 66 cases of measles reported in the state—23 of them in Orange County， where Disneyland is located.

Stopping the sickness

Measles spreads very easily. It can be caught from coughing and sneezing. Crowded areas like theme parks are especially suitable to its spread.

The illness starts with a fever and develops into symptoms including a cough， runny nose， red eyes and so on. About three out of ten people infected with measles will develop another health problem， including an ear infection or pneumonia.

The best way to prevent measles is to get vaccinated. An unvaccinated person is 35 times more likely to catch measles than someone who received a vaccination.

Vocabulary

measles n. 麻疹

infected adj. 感染病菌的

symptom n. 癥狀

vaccinate v. 接種疫苗