SANTA MONICA—Since the measles outbreak that was linked to Disneyland, there has been at least 95 cases formed in California.
Recently at Santa Monica High School, a freshman baseball coach was diagnosed with the measles and was sent directly home. Students and parents were alerted about the coach, and the principle later sent out letters to all parents and staff.
There wasn’t a strong possibility that the baseball team had been exposed to the virus, since every student had a record of measles immunization and students weren’t excused from attending school.
However, it is advised that parents immunize their children to reduce the spread of the disease.
Parents refusing to vaccinate their kids are, in many cases, due to religious beliefs. But risk that these unvaccinated children face are immensely high. Should an outbreak occur in school, these students must exclude themselves immediately from school to avoid spreading the disease.
Health officials urges people who believe they have contracted the contagious disease to first contact their health provider before going to a clinic. Measels can be extremely dangerous and undetected in the onset stage. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District indicated in a press release on January 22, that the district has students who are “immune deficient” due to a variety of medical conditions.
SMMUSD is encouraging all students and adults to who have not been immunized to get immunized. The Westside Family Clinic at 1711 Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica provides FREE immunizations for kids under the age of 18 on the first Saturday of each month from 12-2 p.m. No appointment is needed.
