Monterey County Health Department urging measles vaccine for kids
Elisa Tacconi, the principal at Bay View Academy jumped into action when a parent called Thursday worried one of her kids might have measles.
“The parent informed us that she had a child that is not a student at this school but a younger sibling of a child at this school, and she let us know that there was a possible case of measles,” explained Tacconi.
Tacconi sent out an email to parents, and the Monterey County Health Department was notified by the child’s doctor.
“This person did have symptoms that were highly suggestive of measles. With a fever, and the runny nose, and the cough followed by a rash,” said Monterey County Health Officer Dr. Edward Moreno.
The child was put into isolation and doctors began to collect samples. The test results came back negative, which means there are still no measles cases in Monterey County.
But as the measles outbreak continues in California, Dr. Moreno said parents who choose not to immunize their kids need to be aware of the serious, even fatal complications that come with the virus.
“One in a thousand cases of measles in children will lead to infection of the brain. That infection can lead to permanent hearing loss and can lead to mental retardation,” said Moreno.
Complications that can be prevented with the measles vaccination.
After the first reports of the measles outbreak at Disneyland, the Monterey County Health Department sent out notices to local doctors and clinics asking them to keep an eye out for any patients with symptoms of the measles virus.
