Parents in LA area on high alert amid measles outbreak, quarantine orders

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Quarantine orders are still in effect for hundreds of students and faculty at Cal State Los Angeles and UCLA, who may have been exposed to measles earlier this month.

There have been 875 people at Cal State LA who have been quarantined and 129 at UCLA after possibly being exposed to measles earlier this month.

Nancy Ruiz says her baby has been vaccinated, so she didn't consider not attending her oldest daughter's dance competition at Cal State LA Saturday.

RELATED: Measles outbreak prompts broader quarantines at Cal State LA, UCLA

Hundreds of students and staffers at two Los Angeles universities were quarantined or ordered to stay home Friday, skyrocketing since officials announced two cases of students who may have exposed the campuses to the highly contagious illness.

As a nurse, Ruiz said she handled a lot of worried patient calls over the past couple of days, saying some patients were concerned their vaccinations weren't effective.

"We have parents who don't want the vaccines due to a study done a long time ago that says MMR gives them autism, but it's been proven it's not accurate information," Ruiz said.

What worries Ruiz more is the number of parents who still try to decline the vaccine.

The number of measles cases in the U.S. has climbed to nearly 700 this year, including five in LA County and 38 altogether in the state.

Student health services on the campus of Cal State LA is closed Saturday, but on Friday, between Cal State LA and UCLA, two days after health officials ordered precautions, about 325 of those affected had been cleared from quarantine.