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LOS ANGELES – Forty in two Los Angeles universities has reached more than 200 students and staff members who may have been exposed to measles and have not been vaccinated or can not verify their immunity.
The ruling on the University of California and Cal State University comes as the number of measles cases in the country has reached its highest level in 25 years. The ordinance requires that the affected people stay at home, avoid contact with other people and warn the authorities if they develop measles symptoms.
The virus is very contagious and is transmitted by coughing and sneezing.
"A person whose case of measles is confirmed can expose thousands of people to measles," said county public health department director Barbara Ferrer at a press conference Thursday.
Public health officials in Los Angeles County quarantined about 40 days before evidence of immunity was established, officials said. Some people may need to be quarantined for up to a week.
In the United States, measles reached its highest level in 25 years, with nearly 700 cases this year, due to an upsurge largely attributable to the misinformation that pits parents against vaccination. About three-quarters of this year's illnesses occurred in New York State.
A UCLA student diagnosed with measles probably exposed 500 people on campus in early April, according to a school press release.
Thursday afternoon, 79 of these students and faculty members had not provided medical records showing that they were immune to measles, the university announced.
"Rest badured that we have the necessary resources for prevention and treatment, and that we work closely with local public health officials," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement.
Meanwhile, at Cal State, a person infected with measles went to a library and may have met hundreds of employees, some of whom were students. One hundred and fifty-six of them were unable to provide their vaccination cards as of Thursday afternoon, according to a statement from Cal State.
Health officials have determined that there is "no known known risk of measles in the library at the moment," they said.
A small measles outbreak erupted in Los Angeles County, involving five confirmed cases linked to overseas trips. The state recorded 38 measles cases on Thursday; there were about 11 at the same time last year, said Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health.
The state usually sees fewer than two dozen cases a year, she said.
This year, California cases affect 11 counties and affect patients aged 5 months to 55 years.
More than 76% of patients have not been vaccinated or have not received the two recommended doses of vaccine, Smith said. Fourteen of those infected had traveled abroad, including the Philippines, Thailand, India and Ukraine.
Measles in most people causes fever, a runny nose, a cough and a rash all over the body. However, a small fraction of infected people may have complications such as pneumonia and dangerous swelling of the brain.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the vaccine to all people over one year old, with the exception of people with the disease while they were children. Those who have had measles are immune.
The vaccine, which became available in the 1960s, is considered safe and effective, and as a result, measles was declared virtually eliminated in the United States in 2000.
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Associate Press Writer John Antczak contributed to this report.
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Follow Weber at https://twitter.com/WeberCM.
Christopher Weber, The Associated Press
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