The measles scare at Moorpark College ended with the official clearance on Feb. 4, but the threat of exposure is still prevalent in the local areas so campus health advisors are recommending that individuals check their immunity.
“We really want to prevent this,” said Allison Barton, the student health educator at Moorpark College. “It’s such a preventable disease with immunity.”
Measles is a dangerous disease that is easily spread. The virus can live on surfaces or in the air for up to two hours, so if the infected person coughed or sneezed near someone, that person could become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their face, said the Ventura County Health Care Agency’s Measles FAQ.
“For every one case, 12 to 15 result,” said Barton. “That’s the rate of spread for measles.”
The Agency also said that the viral infection can lead to pneumonia, swelling of the brain, dehydration, and ear infections that cause permanent hearing loss and has the potential to kill those infected.
According to the Agency, the early symptoms of measles include runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the mouth. Soon after, a rash breaks out over the body and is usually accompanied by a high fever.
The outbreak has reached serious proportions. There are a reported 121 cases in the United States, with 88 of those cases in California, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.
Even more relevant to students at Moorpark is the 11 cases that have been confirmed in Ventura County, according to the Agency
With the risk being so close to home, Moorpark health advisors are strongly suggesting that students be proactive in checking their immunization status.
People are considered immune is they are born in the United States before 1957 or by have received two M.M.R. shots (measles, mumps and rubella) after their first birthday, said Barton. Getting only one of these shots puts immunity at 95 percent, but having the second raises immunity up and over 99 percent, she said.
Geraldyn Chavez, a 20-year-old psychology major, has a class in the Tech building, one of the buildings suspected of contamination, during the time sent out in the school’s warning email.
“I was a little worried until I found out that I was immunized,” said Chavez. “After that I was just concerned for the others who may not be.”
If symptoms are suspected, stay home and contact a personal physician, said Barton. This way the risk of spreading the virus is limited on campus.
The Student Health Center offers a blood titer to check immunity for $4 and vaccinations are available for $57.
If interested in making an appointment, call the Student Health Center at (805) 378-1413 or visit room 111 in the Administration building.
For a first hand experience of the blood titer, please see
Here is a first person account of our Student Voice editor-in-chief, Brian Varela, getting a blood titer:
https://www.moorparkreporter.com/4004201/student-life/a-first-person-experience-of-a-blood-titer/
