Measles Quarantine On Unvaccinated Students At Laguna Beach High School

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — A student of Laguna Beach High School who contracted the measles could have exposed as many as seven other un-vaccinated students on campus on March 29, officials from the Orange County Health Care Agency told parents of that district.

Measles, which spreads easily by air according to the OC Health Agency led them to send out the alert, and initiate the quarantine.

"Simply being in the same room with someone who has measles is sufficient to become infected,"

What are the symptoms of the Measles?

Per OC Healthcare Agency information sent to parents in the Laguna Beach Unified School District, the Measles will present usually about 8-12 days (but up to 21 days) after exposure.

Measles begins with a mild to moderate fever accompanied by cough, runny nose, and red eyes. Two or three days later, the fever increases, often as high as 104-105°F.

At the same time, a red blotchy rash appears, usually first on the face, along the hairline and behind the ears.

The rash rapidly spreads downward to the chest and back and, finally, to the thighs and feet. Most students with measles are sick enough that they miss at least a week of school.

One in every 20 people with measles develops pneumonia; more rarely, serious, even life-threatening complications can occur.

A small number of un-vaccinated students at the high school could have had contact with the measles-infected student on March 29 according to Helene Calvet, Deputy Health Officer of the OC Health Care Agency in a release sent to the school.

"The ill student, who was also unvaccinated, reported no recent travel outside Orange County or exposure to ill people," Calvet said.

In the district wide announcement was released on Wednesday, April 5, to alert parents of the measles infection, symptoms of the measles and protocol for quarantine.

"If a child develops an illness with fever of 101-degrees or greater, cough, runny nose, red eyes, with or without a rash, contact a health care provider and the Orange County Health Care Agency at 714-834-8180 immediately," Calvet said.

Seven students were initially excluded, though one produced proof of vaccination and was permitted to return," Laguna Beach Unified School District spokesperson Leisa Winston said.

Those unvaccinated students were advised to stay home until April 18, according to Winston.

Vaccination has long been a hot topic for parents, as many are thought to hinder more than help protect from disease.

Patch has reached out to Laguna Beach Unified School District to determine how many students have abstained from vaccinations, per the Personal belief exemptions submitted before Jan. 1, 2016.

Those exemptions remain valid until a student reaches seventh grade, according to Winston.

Under Senate Bill 277, a new state vaccination law, parents can no longer refuse to vaccinate their children based upon personal belief. Children must be vaccinated against:

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