The SLO County University Trustees are on alert after the measles outbreak at L.A.

University administrators in the San Luis Obispo area are on the alert after a measles outbreak was reported in two schools in Los Angeles County last week.

"At present, 45 students are still in quarantine and a faculty member," dir. Barbara Ferrer said about the UCLA campus during a press conference held on Friday.

Ferrer has announced a reduction in the number of people quarantined at UCLA as a result of two measles outbreaks, one at UCLA, the other at Cal State L.A.

"One of these cases traveled abroad before contracting measles, the other case was actually contracted here, locally," said Ferrer.

While the number of people quarantined at UCLA has decreased, officials say 656 students and staff are still quarantined at Cal State L.A.

These patients are just two of 38 measles cases recorded this year in eight counties in California: LA, Placer, Shasta / Butte, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara.

The disease is highly contagious and the Department of Health reports that nine out of 10 unvaccinated people exposed to measles will contract the disease.

"People who really fear not being vaccinated continue to find a way to get into our public or private school system without the required vaccines," said Penny Borenstein, health officer for San Luis Obispo County.

This is the case of Cal Poly, where the spokesman of the University, Matt Lazier, confirmed that some students had avoided mandatory measles vaccines without medical or religious derogation.

"Cal Poly Health Services is monitoring the UCLA case and, more generally, maintaining vigilant vigilance about measles and the potential risk this disease could pose for the campus," Lazier said. "If the university identified a case of measles, Health and Wellness would work closely with County Public Health to protect the campus and the local community."

For the classmates of these students, the prospect of an outbreak at Cal Poly like those of UCLA and Cal State is worrisome.

"I would like to live on a campus where there is nothing to worry about," said Cal Poly Junior, Daniel Klem. "You hope everyone gets vaccinated."

"You are potentially exposing other people who have potentially no defense against such things," said Senior Poly Cal Austin Kurth.

If an outbreak occurred at Cal Poly, Lazier said students without the vaccine could be temporarily excluded from the campus.

But in California community colleges, like Cuesta, students and staff are not required to vaccinate against measles.

"We do not have dormitories, which significantly reduces the risk of exposure to certain communicable diseases that you observe and spread rapidly in higher education institutions," Dir. Nicole Johnson said. "But I think we could see a change in the future about it."

A recent revision of the California Universities System Policy, which will come into force next year, would allow for exemptions only on a medical basis.