Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Unvaccinated Students Banned From High School Because Of Measles Scare
Two dozen unvaccinated Orange County high school students have been banned from campus for three weeks after one of their classmates got measles, in an effort to stop the highly-contagious disease from spreading.
Earlier this month, Huntington Beach High School sent a letter to 24 of its students telling them that since they didn't have any documentation of being vaccinated against measles they wouldn't be able to return to school until Jan. 29, reported KPCC. The student who contracted measles last attended the school on Jan. 8 and also received a letter.
This comes on the heels of a measles outbreak linked to folks who visited the Disneyland theme parks in Anaheim in December. There are now 52 measles cases in total, with 46 of them in California. Orange County has the most cases, with 16 people; however, since six of those cases were contracted outside of the Disneyland parks, officials are now convinced the disease is spreading.
Measles is a respiratory disease that spreads through the air through coughing and sneezing. A person who's contracted measles can be contagious up to four days before and after the rash begins to show. The symptoms for this disease include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash covering the entire body, and will appear about a week to two weeks after being infected. There's no treatment for measles, but most people usually recover after a few weeks.
Support for LAist comes from
While health officials declared that measles were pretty much wiped out from the U.S. in 2000 due to vaccinations, the number of measles cases have ticked up again over the last year, mostly from folks who weren't vaccinated.
Even though the state requires that students get vaccinated for measles, parents who are opposed to vaccines for whatever reason can sign a personal belief waiver to sidestep that requirement, according to the OC Register. However, health officials have the right to require unvaccinated people to be quarantined through state law.
Not everyone is happy. One parent at the high school told NBC Los Angeles, "I'm not a doctor so I can't say, but that seems extreme to me. I mean, I had the measles and I think I was out for three days."
Last week, a South Pasadena graduate student said she was refusing to follow health officials' orders that she should be quarantined after her sister contracted measles after visiting the theme parks. Ylsa Tellez, 26, who said she feels healthy, said authorities threatened that she could get a misdemeanor or get sent to jail if she didn't follow their orders.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist