Laguna Beach student infected with measles, county health officials say
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An unvaccinated Laguna Beach High School student has contracted measles, Orange County’s second case of the year, health officials said Friday.
The Orange County Health Care Agency confirmed that the student had contracted the “highly contagious” disease, spokeswoman Jessica Good wrote in an email. The student was quarantined at home.
“The student was ill for a number of days, but is doing better now and was not hospitalized,” Good said.
The student’s physician reported symptoms to the agency.
Good declined to provide the student’s age or gender, though she did say the student had not traveled abroad.
A small number of unvaccinated LBHS students have been instructed to stay home until April 18 as a precaution, Good said.
Infected parties are usually contagious from four days before a rash starts to four days afterward, according to the California Department of Public Health.
On Wednesday, Laguna Beach Unified School District officials, in collaboration with the O.C. health agency, notified parents of the infection by email.
Measles are airborne and also spread easily by direct contact. Simply being in the same room with an infected party is sufficient to become infected, the letter said.
Outbreaks typically occur eight to 12 days following an exposure, but the infection can remain dormant for up to 21 days, according to the letter.
Measles can cause fever, rash, cough, red and watery eyes. Fevers can reach as high as 105 degrees, while a red blotchy rash that typically appears first on the face along the hairline and behind the ears can spread to the chest, back, thighs and feet.
One in 20 measles patients develop pneumonia and, while rare, life-threatening complications can occur, the letter said.
Infections can take hold in patients who have never had the disease or received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
While the MMR vaccine is highly effective, it does not provide 100% protection, the letter added.
In the county’s other confirmed measles case this year, a vaccinated adult on an international flight was exposed to the disease, said Good, who declined to give the person’s age, city of residence and gender.
There were no reported cases of measles countywide in 2016.
The agency reported 35 cases in the county in 2015, a year in which the U.S. experienced a multi-state outbreak that likely started from a traveler who became infected overseas with measles, then visited an amusement park [Disneyland] while infectious, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website said.
Anyone who develops an illness with a fever of 100 degrees or more, a cough, runny nose or red eyes, with or without rash, should immediately contact their healthcare provider and the Orange County Health Care Agency at (714) 834-8180.
Twitter: @AldertonBryce
