A CBS News investigation found that thousands of students, including at hundreds of schools in Southern California, could be at risk of catching measles because vaccination rates are not high enough to prevent it.
In 2023, the California Department of Public Health audited over 500 schools in the state because more than 10 % of students in kindergarten and seventh grade were not fully vaccinated.
According to state law, children “are required to receive certain immunizations” to attend school and childcare facilities.
Dr.Angelique Campen, an emergency room doctor at Providence Saint Joseph in Burbank, told KNX News’ Jon Baird that measles is a very contagious disease, citing the 2014 Disneyland measles outbreak as an example.
“It is spread simply from being in a room,” she said. “A person can walk into a room and now every person in that room has been exposed.”
Nava Yeganeh with the Los Angeles County Health Department told CBS News that 95% of students have to be vaccinated to prevent a large outbreak.
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