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Measles Surfaces In Santa Barbara County; Case Linked To Los Angeles Outbreak

(Centers for Disease Control image)
Measles virus as seen through electron telescope

Santa Barbara County Health officials have been scrambling to deal with a case of measles believed to be linked to an outbreak in Los Angeles.

Someone with the highly contagious disease showed up at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Tuesday night. County Public Health officials say all exposed healthcare workers, patients, and hospital visitors have been contacted. The healthcare workers had all previously been immunized against the disease. 11 people have been diagnosed with the disease in the Los Angeles area outbreak.

Measles can be spread rapidly though coughing and sneezing. It can be dangerous and even deadly for young children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems. It can be prevented with immunizations.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.