An unvaccinated child has been diagnosed with measles in a California county with one of the state’s lowest rates for kindergarten immunization, the state’s department of public health announced Tuesday.
The department is investigating the child, who attends Yuba River Charter School in Nevada County and showed symptoms of measles after returning home from from a trip overseas. He has recovered but was infectious at school on March 17.
The school is closed to all students until Wednesday and will remain closed to students without a measles vaccine until April 8 if no new cases are documented, the Nevada County Department of Public Health said in a letter sent to school parents.
YRCS has a very low kindergarten immunization rate, according to the CDPH’s annual report on kindergarten vaccination rates. Only 43 percent of the school’s kindergarteners are up to date on their required immunizations for the 2015-2016 school year. Only 77.1 percent of kindergarteners in the county meet the requirement — giving it the second lowest immunization rate in the state, just behind Trinity County, with 77 percent.
“As the state’s public health officer, it’s concerning to receive a report of a child with measles because it’s a disease that can easily be prevented,” the CDPH’s Dr. Karen Smith said in the department’s announcement. “Immunization is the best way to protect against measles. Two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine are approximately 97 percent effective at preventing disease in exposed persons.”
