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Measles Cases in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties Linked to Same International Flight
The Santa Barbara Independent • • health
Key Points:
- Measles cases in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties are linked to a single international airline flight in mid-July, with over 150 potential exposures identified in Santa Barbara alone.
- Public health officials conducted extensive contact tracing and quarantined unvaccinated or uncertain individuals, with no new cases reported so far.
- Santa Barbara County has recently added in-house measles testing capabilities and maintains high vaccination rates, with herd immunity protecting those born before 1957.
- Health experts emphasize the importance of vaccination before international travel, noting that two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97% protection against measles.
- The total measles cases in California have risen slightly to 58, but no outbreak is evident, and ongoing monitoring and public health updates are planned.
