Unhappy news at the “Happiest Place on Earth” has sparked warnings for B.C. travellers.
Vancouver father-of-two Graham Barron planned to take his family to Disneyland in February, but a measles outbreak traced to the popular family destination has forced them to abandon their plans.
“Our daughter’s just too young to get vaccinated – you have to be a year old,” Barron said. “We just felt that it wasn’t worth the risk to go, so we cancelled our trip.”
Dozens of recent measles cases have been linked to Disneyland, and health officials in the U.S. and Canada warn anyone who’s not vaccinated to avoid the theme park, at least for now.
B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall said the disease, which until recently was all but eradicated thanks to vaccines, is very contagious, and people can be infectious for days before symptoms appear.
“The measles still seems to be spreading,” Kendall said.
“We really want anybody who’s thinking about going to [Disneyland] with their children to be sure that their immunizations are up to date.”
Flight Centre said travellers who do decide to go need to understand that the situation could affect their ability to get insurance.
“Now that people know that there’s this measles outbreak, you’re not able to get insurance to cover you for that,” spokeswoman Allison Wallace said.
Barron was able to get a credit for their vacation package, and said his family will plan another Disneyland trip once the outbreak is over.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Maria Weisgarber and The Associated Press
