Calif. school releases students unvaccinated for measles

Colin Atagi | The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Nearly 70 students from a Riverside County, Calif., high school will miss up to seven days of classes because they haven't been immunized for measles.

Since the 66 Palm Desert High School students haven't been immunized, they need to avoid classes until Feb. 9 unless they confirm they've received immunization or show proof of resistance as determined by a Titer test, according to the Desert Sands Unified School District.

Health officials throughout the country have been concerned about a measles outbreak tied to Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif., before Christmas.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 68 people from 11 states reported to have measles, as of Jan. 23. Most of the cases were tied to the Disneyland outbreak.

In 2014, the CDC reports there were 644 cases from 27 states. That is the largest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000.

And in Arizona, health officials believe a woman who has recently been diagnosed with measles may have exposed as many as 195 children at a children's center to the disease.

Earlier this month, health officials in Orange County, Calif., where Disneyland is located, told 24 unvaccinated students to stay home for three weeks — the incubation period for measles — after learning that an infected student attended Huntington Beach High School.

Health officials checked all students' immunization status Tuesday after a girl was sent home Monday because of a suspected case of measles. She was later cleared to return to class Tuesday.

The 66 students didn't need to be quarantined, but they couldn't leave campus until their parents arrived to take them home.

"We need to arrange for parents to make that kind of transportation arrangement," said district spokeswoman Mary Perry. "You can't send them to the door and make them leave."

Several students said Wednesday that they weren't worried about catching the measles since they were already immunized. However, they said they felt bad for the students who were sent home.

"It's the start of a second semester. This is not a good time to be missing school," said freshman Michael Wallace.

There haven't been any reports of possible cases of measles elsewhere and "at this point, all efforts are focused on the high school," Perry said.

It wasn't immediately clear, however, why the students weren't immunized.

While all states require that children receive recommended vaccines before attending school, some make it easier than others to get exemptions. Infectious disease outbreaks are more common in areas with large numbers of unvaccinated students.

All states grant exemptions to children for medical reasons, such as immune deficiencies. And all states except Mississippi and West Virginia grant exemptions based on religious objections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Nineteen states, including California, allow students to skip vaccines for philosophical objections. Some states require vaccines only for public school students; other laws apply to public and private schools.

Nearly 95% of children are fully vaccinated against measles, according to the CDC. But vaccination rates vary from a low of 82% in Colorado to 98% in Mississippi.

Measles symptoms include fever or rash, running nose, coughing and red eyes. Symptoms typically appear seven to 12 days after exposure to measles but may take up to 21 days.

Four people have been diagnosed with measles in western Riverside County, Calif., over the past month. Their cases were linked to the amusement park outbreak.

According to the Riverside County health department, there was no indication the first Palm Desert High School student recently visited Disneyland.

In a health department letter to Palm Desert parents, officials said, "Your child is at risk of developing measles if she/he has never had the disease or has not received two doses of measles vaccine. If your child has received one vaccination, she/he may not be immune and could develop measles."

Statewide, 79 California residents have been diagnosed with measles during the outbreak, according to the California Department of Public Health. Of those, 52 were connected to the exposure at Disneyland. Most of those whose vaccination status was documented had not been immunized.

Most children receive measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines at age 1 and again at age 4. Most children are protected after only one dose of the vaccine, but parents should ask doctors about receiving a second shot, according to the Riverside County health department.

Contributing: Rosalie Murphy, David Nyczepir, Brett Kelman and Andrew John, The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun; Liz Szabo, USA TODAY; Connie Cone Sexton and Paulina Pineda, The Arizona Republic.