Health Care Providers Take Action To Stop Further Spread Of Measles
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) —Health care providers in California are taking a stand against the spread of measles.
KCAL9's Erica Nochlin spoke with Los Angeles pediatrician Dr. Charles Goodman, who is refusing to see children whose parents won't get them vaccinated.
"Parents who choose not to give measles shots, they're not just putting their kids at risk, but they're also putting other kids at risk -- especially kids in my waiting room," Dr. Goodman said.
Kaiser Permanente, one of California's largest health insurance and health care providers, this week began automated calls to members to remind them about getting vaccinated against measles.
"As of January 23, 2015, we show someone in your household is between 12 months and 17 years of age and is due for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine," the robo call says.
The robo calls began Monday in Northern California and are expected to reach 140,000 members across the state this week.
There are now 15 confirmed cases of measles in Los Angeles County, with 14 linked to the Disneyland outbreak, and they exposed hundreds of other people, Los Angeles County's top health officer said Thursday.
Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, Los Angeles County's interim health officer and head of the Department of Public Health, said the 15 patients -- which do not include Long Beach and Pasadena's two confirmed measles cases -- identified by the agency are believed to have had contact with about 700 other people. About three dozen of those people opted to voluntarily stay home from work or school until it can be determined if they have the disease.
None of the 15 people confirmed with measles were vaccinated, Gunzenhauser said.
State officials have said there have been more than 90 confirmed cases of measles, stretching across eight states and Mexico. The state Department of Public Health has confirmed 79 cases, the majority of which can be traced to Disneyland.
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