Two UCLA buildings potentially exposed to measles, one student infected

This post was updated July 28, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.

All UCLA students and faculty who were quarantined for possible exposure to measles last week have been released from quarantine as of Thursday.
The students and faculty were cleared after they verified their vaccination history or after they were deemed no longer to be at risk for contracting measles, administrative vice chancellor Michael Beck said in an email statement. There are no more known cases of exposure or infection at UCLA, he added.

UCLA was identified as a site for possible measles exposure April 22, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

One hundred and nineteen students and eight faculty members were quarantined by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on April 24 until they could provide immunization records, according to a university press release. The number had dropped to 46 students Friday. By Sunday, only one student living on campus was still under quarantine, and 27 were still isolating themselves in off-campus housing, according to another university press release.

The number of individuals quarantined has dropped to 46 as of Friday, said UCLA spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez. Only one student living on campus is still under quarantine, according to another university press release.

An infected UCLA student attended classes in Franz Hall on April 2, 4 and 9 and in Boelter Hall between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on April 2 and 9. The student did not enter any other buildings at UCLA. Although there is no current known risk at these locations, officials are looking for people who may have been at the sites during those times.

UCLA is working to notify all students, faculty and staff who might have come in contact with the student, Vazquez said. Those people will be provided with detailed information about treatment and prevention.

Health workers contacted more than 500 people who might have been exposed to the virus at UCLA. Seventy-nine students and professors still had not provided proof of vaccination as of Thursday, according to a Los Angeles Times article. Those who could not provide immunization records may be quarantined for up to seven days on campus, according to an email statement from Chancellor Gene Block.

Public Health officials located five cases of measles in Los Angeles County. The majority of the people in these cases were unvaccinated. Other potential exposed areas include Los Angeles International Airport, Long Beach Airport, an El Pollo Loco restaurant in La Cañada Flintridge and California State University, Los Angeles.

Measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and rash, and typically occur 10 to 21 days after initial exposure, according to the press release. Many adults born before 1989 have not had the recommended two rounds of measles vaccination. Officials suggest that those people contact their doctors to receive a second dose immediately.