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More than 300 quarantined amid measles fears at Los Angeles universities More than 900 quarantined amid measles fears at Los Angeles universities
(about 11 hours later)
More than 300 students and faculty members at two Los Angeles universities have been placed under a quarantine order, after they were exposed to measles and were not able to verify they had been vaccinated or have immunity. More than 900 students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were quarantined on campus or sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet by public health authorities to contain the spread of measles in the US, where cases have reached a 25-year high.
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), said that as of Wednesday there were 119 students and eight faculty members under quarantine. More than 500 students, faculty and staff may have been exposed to the virus when a student who has been diagnosed with the virus attended classes in early April. The quarantined individuals have not shown that they are immune. By Friday afternoon, two days after Los Angeles county ordered the precautions, about 200 of those affected had been cleared to return after proving their immunity to the disease, through either medical records or tests, school officials said.
Seventy-one students and 127 staff members, meanwhile, are quarantined at California State University, Los Angeles after a possible exposure at a campus library, school officials said. Cal State-LA reported 656 students and staff still under quarantine, while UCLA said it had fewer than 50.
Those under the quarantine – one of the biggest in state history, the Los Angeles Times reported – were instructed to stay at home and avoid contact with others, though it wasn’t clear how those orders might be enforced or what penalties violators might face.
“Measles actually kills people. So we have to take that really seriously,” said Dr Armand Dorian, chief medical officer at the University of Southern California’s Verdugo Hills hospital.
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“The Department of Public Health has determined that there is no known current risk related to measles at the library at this time,” Cal State said in a statement. “We have arranged for those who live on campus to be cared for at UCLA while they are quarantined,” the UCLA chancellor, Gene Block, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Please be assured that we have the resources we need for prevention and treatment, and that we are working very closely with local public health officials on the matter.”
UCLA says some people could remain in quarantines for up to 48 hours before they prove immunity. A few may need to remain in quarantine for up to seven days. The quarantine comes as the number of measles cases in the US this year hit a quarter-century high, despite being declared all but eliminated from the country in 2000. Colleges and universities are an area of concern for public health officials, the Los Angeles Times reported, because the current generation of college students were infants when Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced former British physician, began spreading the false idea that vaccines were linked to autism.
“We have arranged for those who live on campus to be cared for at UCLA while they are quarantined,” UCLA chancellor Gene Block said in a statement. “Please be assured that we have the resources we need for prevention and treatment, and that we are working very closely with local public health officials on the matter.”
The quarantine comes as the number of measles cases in the US this year hit a 25-year high, despite being declared all but eliminated from the country in 2000. Colleges and universities are an area of concern for public health officials, the Los Angeles Times reported, because the current generation of college students were infants when Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced former British physician, began spreading the false idea that vaccines were linked to autism.
The so-called “Wakefield generation” has lower rates of vaccination than other age groups, the Times reported.The so-called “Wakefield generation” has lower rates of vaccination than other age groups, the Times reported.
A small outbreak of measles is occurring in Los Angeles County involving five confirmed cases linked to overseas travel. A small outbreak of measles is occurring in Los Angeles county involving five confirmed cases linked to overseas travel.
State health officials say the number of measles cases is up in California this year and much of the increase is linked to overseas travel.State health officials say the number of measles cases is up in California this year and much of the increase is linked to overseas travel.
Dr Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says the state recorded 38 measles cases as of Thursday, versus 11 around the same time last year. Dr Karen Smith, director of the California department of public health, says the state recorded 38 measles cases as of Thursday, versus 11 around the same time last year.
She says the state typically sees fewer than two dozen cases a year.She says the state typically sees fewer than two dozen cases a year.
This year, California’s cases stretch across 11 counties and affect patients from five months to 55 years of age.This year, California’s cases stretch across 11 counties and affect patients from five months to 55 years of age.
She says more than 76% of patients were not vaccinated or didn’t receive the recommended two doses of vaccine. She says more than 76% of patients were not vaccinated or did not receive the recommended two doses of vaccine.
Fourteen of those infected had traveled overseas to countries including Philippines, Thailand, India and Ukraine.Fourteen of those infected had traveled overseas to countries including Philippines, Thailand, India and Ukraine.
Measles symptoms include high fever, a cough and a rash.Measles symptoms include high fever, a cough and a rash.
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