New Case Of Measles Reported At Santa Monica Infant Toddler Center

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com)   —  LA County has another confirmed case of the measles and the latest to contract the disease is a baby.

Santa Monica-Malibu United School District notified parents that a child in one of the school's infant care programs has contracted measles.

KCAL9's Laurie Perez reported from outside Santa Monica High School Sunday evening.

The baby with measles attends the Samohi (Santa Monica High School) Infant Toddler Center. This is where female students can bring their children and attend classes.

Perez said that the baby's young age -- too young to be vaccinated -- poses challenges to health workers and district leaders on what their next steps should be.

The first step was to send a letter to parents to let them know that the center will be closed for at least Monday.

There have now been more than 90 confirmed cases of measles in California traced back to a December exposure at Disneyland.

With the spread of the illness, Perez said anxiety is also starting to mount.

A district spokesperson could not say how long the baby at Samohi has been attending the facility.

As soon as the baby's mother saw symptoms, officials said she called the district. The district, in turn, called the LA County Department of Public Health.

Officials advised the school to close Monday while a "contact investigation" is conducted. This will allow officials to determine how many others -- infants, babies or center staff -- might have been infected. Perez reported that since the program is held at the high school campus, possibly a broader look at the school's population as well.

The center has 24 infants in the program. The district will also determine how many of the other babies -- or staff members -- may or may not have been vaccinated.

This is the second case of measles reported on the Santa Monica High School campus. Two weeks ago, a baseball coach reportedly contracted the disease.