Colleges In Los Angeles Have High Measles Rates

Nearly a thousand students, faculty and staff at two college campuses in Los Angeles are being quarantined because they may have been exposed to measles. Measles was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, but thanks to falling vaccination rates and misinformation about vaccines, the highly contagious virus have made a comeback.

“Officials at California State University at Los Angeles alerted its students and staff that the exposure may have occurred at a campus library on April 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those at the library during that time were asked to provide immunization records or be checked for immunity at the health center, the university said in a statement Thursday. As of Friday afternoon, the university said 550 students and 106 staff members have been instructed to stay at home and avoid contact with others under quarantine orders, according to the university,” The Washington Post reports. “The University of California at Los Angeles also warned students and staff of potential exposure, saying Thursday that a student infected with measles attended classes at two campus buildings on April 2, 4 and 9. He did not enter any other buildings while on campus, but the school determined that more than 500 students and staff may have been exposed or come into contact with the sick student.”

The East Coast has also seen several measles outbreaks this year. Overall, there have been more than 700 confirmed cases in 22 states. Amid the outbreaks, President Trump encouraged all Americans to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others against the disease.