The Desert Sands Unified School District said students at Palm Desert High School had to be released from their classes on Wednesday. The 66 students were told to stay home towards the end of next week. They are allowed to return on Feb. 9 under the condition that they are medically cleared which they should support with a proof of immunity.
The decision was made out of concern that a classmate could have contracted measles which reportedly went on a rare outbreak recently. It was also believed that the outbreak had started at a Disneyland resort when an infected person, who is most likely a non-U.S. resident, visited the resort in Anaheim between the dates of Dec. 15 and Dec. 20.
Health officials in the U.S. have expressed a deep concern on a measles outbreak that had been linked to Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure prior to the Christmas holiday season. Records from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that at least 68 people coming from 11 states were reportedly diagnosed with measles by Jan. 23. Most of the reported cases had shown a link with the Disneyland outbreak.
Earlier in January, students from a school in Huntington Beach who have not been vaccinated were ordered to stay home until Thursday. Similarly, non-vaccinated students from nearby Arizona who may have been exposed to the rare disease were told by the Maricopa County officials to stay home.
"We are simply responding, being very careful and making sure we're taking the best care of students and staff," said Mary Perry, a spokeswoman for the Desert Sands Unified School District. She added that those students who had not been vaccinated were ordered to stay home at least until Feb. 9.
In California and in nearby states, there were over 90 cases of people who have been diagnosed with measles. Homegrown measles, which had symptoms such as fever and rash, had been declared to be eliminated from the U.S. since the year 2000.
Officials said the 66 students that were sent home didn't have to be quarantined. However, they were advised not to leave the campus until their parents would come over to take them home.
"We need to arrange for parents to make that kind of transportation arrangement," said Perry. "You can't send them to the door and make them leave."
A number of students said they don't feel worried about catching the disease because they were immunized. Somehow, they felt bad for their fellow students who were asked to go home.
"It's the start of a second semester," said freshman Michael Wallace. "This is not a good time to be missing school."
