Hundreds quarantined as officials probe measles cases at L.A. Universities
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More than 900 students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities – the University of California and California State University – were quarantined on campus or sent home this week as US public health authorities try to contain a worrying spread of measles in the U.S.
After Los Angeles County ordered the precautions, by the end of the week about 200 of those affected had been cleared to return after proving their immunity to the disease, through either medical records or tests, school officials said.
The action at the two universities reflected the seriousness with which public health officials are taking the outbreak of measles in the US where cases have reached a 25-year high.
A sign outside a health clinic with warnings about measles in Brooklyn, New York, USA. (EPA-EFE/JUSTIN LANE)
The number of measles cases in the U.S. has climbed to nearly 700 this year. The surge is blamed largely on parents not getting their children vaccinated because of misinformation about the supposed dangers.
Around the U.S., lawmakers in California, New York, Washington state and Oregon have responded to the outbreak by moving to crack down on exemptions to vaccinating children. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump urged everyone to get vaccinated.
