California declares Measles outbreak officially over

The measles outbreak that began at Disneyland and that affected 131 Californians is over, California health officials said Friday.

The last case of measles was confirmed March 2, prompting officials to set Friday as the date when the outbreak was considered over since there were no new cases reported.

From Dec. 28 to March 10, 147 people from seven states were reported to have measles and considered to be a part of a large outbreak linked to the two Disney theme parks in Orange County, Southern California, Xinhua reported.

A total of 131 people were infected with the measles in California apart from at least 25 others who resided in seven other states, Canada and Mexico.

It can take 21 days for a person infected with measles to show signs of illness. An outbreak can be declared over if no new illnesses are reported for 42 days.

'We are pleased this outbreak is over, but caution that measles can be reintroduced in California at any time when an infected person brings it to the state,' said state health officer Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health. 'The best defense for protection against the highly infectious measles is vaccination.'

There are 173 cases reported in 17 states this year. In most cases, the victims were unvaccinated, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Scientists say the measles virus in this outbreak matches one in the Philippines last year.

The United States experienced a record number of measles cases during 2014, with 668 cases from 27 states reported to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the country in 2000, according to the CDC.