Michael Heggarty, MFT

Health and Human Services Agency

Director

500 CROWN POINT CIRCLE, STE 110

GRASS VALLEY, CA 95945
TELEPHONE
(530) 265-1450
(888) 303-1450

Jill Blake, MPA

Public Health Director

Nevada County
Health and Human
Services Agency
Public Health Department

Ken Cutler, MD, MPH

Public Health Officer
10075 LEVON AVE STE 202
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA 96161
TELEPHONE
(530) 582-7814

March 28, 2016

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):
This letter is to inform you that a child has been confirmed to have measles who attended Yuba River
Charter school during the time they were infectious on March 17, 2016. Measles spreads very easily
by air and by direct contact. Simply being in the same room or hallway with someone who has measles
is sufficient to become infected.
Your child is at risk of developing measles if she/he has never had the disease or has not received the
vaccination for it called MMR. Of note, 2 doses of MMR are recommended for school aged children.
Children who have received 1 or 2 doses of MMR may still get measles but the chances are
substantially reduced.
Therefore, if your child has no documentation of immunity to measles (documentation of one or
more measles vaccinations more than 2 weeks prior to March 17, 2016 or a blood test showing IgG
antibodies to measles), she/he will be excluded from school effective March 29, 2016, until it is
determined by the Health Officer that the surveillance period for development of illness is over. If there
are no new cases of measles children excluded from school would be allowed back into school April 8,
2016 (the exclusion period is typically 21 days from last known exposure). During exclusion, we
request that you remain under home quarantine. Please see attached document for information on
measles home quarantine.
Chapter 2, Section 120130 of the Health and Safety Code of the State of California states:
The health officer may require isolation (strict or modified) or quarantine for any case of contagious,
infectious or communicable disease when such action is necessary for the protection of the public
health. In addition, information about exclusion of unimmunized students is available on the California
Personal Beliefs Exemption form (http://www.sb277.org/uploads/4/7/9/8/47988161/cdph-8262.pdf) as
well as in the California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Section 6060.
It is very important that if your child develops an illness with fever, cough, runny nose or red
eyes, with or without rash that you contact your healthcare provider for evaluation and keep
your child at home until cleared by the Department of Public Health to return. Healthcare facilities
need to take special precautions to limit the spread of measles, so it is important to call and make
arrangements for evaluation and not enter a waiting room unannounced. If you should have questions
about measles, please contact your primary care provider. If you have questions about this letter,
please contact the Communicable Disease staff at (530) 470-2502.
Sincerely,
Ken Cutler, MD, MPH
Nevada County Health Officer