Santa Monica daycare center closed after baby contracts measles; 14 quarantined

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Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Santa Monica daycare center closed after baby contracts measles; 14 quarantined
Fourteen babies have been placed under quarantine after a baby at a daycare center at Santa Monica High School contracted measles.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- A daycare center at Santa Monica High School has been shut down after a baby contracted measles. The development comes as 92 California residents have come down with the virus.

A letter was sent to parents to inform them that a child under the age of 1 at Samohi Infant Toddler Center was confirmed with a case of the measles.

"We also are working with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) to monitor the situation and to determine next steps," the school said in a statement.

The school learned about the latest case on Saturday.

"Our center director called all 24 families with babies and toddlers in that program. She called them all this weekend to let them know what was going on," said Gail Pinsker, a spokesperson for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

The infant room at the daycare center has been closed until further notice, and the toddler room was closed through Thursday.

Fourteen babies were placed under quarantine for 21 days.

The news comes about a week after a Santa Monica High School freshman baseball coach was also diagnosed with measles. The district says the 70 boys in the baseball program have all been immunized and show no symptoms.