ARIZONA NEWS

Doctor urges Maricopa County schools to be proactive in fight against measles

Jun 15, 2016, 3:29 PM | Updated: Jun 20, 2016, 11:50 am

(AP Photo)...

(AP Photo)

(AP Photo)

PHOENIX — A Phoenix-area doctor is urging Maricopa County schools to be proactive in fighting the latest outbreak of measles in Arizona.

“Gathering immunization records of all their students would be an easy step in determining the risk their student population has,” Dr. Gautam Aggarwal, a family medicine specialist, said.

While Aggarwal stopped short of calling for schools to make vaccinations mandatory — that would likely require some form of legal action — he said administrators should push parents to get their kids inoculated.

“Encouraging vaccinations is also a good idea,” he said.

Twelve cases of measles have been confirmed in the latest outbreak, all of which have been linked to an immigrant detention center in Pinal County. Two additional cases have been confirmed in Maricopa County.

Measles is highly contagious and can spread quickly among children who have not been vaccinated.

Chief epidemiologist Jessica Rigler with the Arizona Department of Health Services said an outbreak would likely affect a small percentage of students in Arizona schools.

“For the 2015-2016 school year, we found that just under 95 percent of kindergartners in Arizona were protected against measles,” she said.

However, because of the way schools document vaccinations, that number could vary.

“If parents are enrolling their students, and they don’t have their shot record for their child at the time of enrollment, it’s possible they will just sign an exemption form out of convenience rather than get their child’s shot record,” she said.

KTAR’s Kathy Cline and Kaely Monahan contributed to this report.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

A video screen at a presentation says Maricopa Community Colleges in this file photo. The Maricopa ...

KTAR.com

Maricopa County Community College District proposes property tax rate hike

The Maricopa County Community College District is moving to raise its primary property tax rate for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

48 minutes ago

Eastbound Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway closed near Mesa...

Serena O'Sullivan

Eastbound Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway near Mesa closed after crash

Eastbound Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway near Mesa closed on Tuesday evening, the Arizona Department of Transportation said.

2 hours ago

Dorothy Jean Tillman II graduated ASU at 17...

Associated Press

17-year-old ‘genius’ graduates from ASU with doctorate in integrated behavioral health

Dorothy Jean Tillman II entered college at the age of 10. This year, she earned a doctorate from Arizona State University at 17 years old.

4 hours ago

Keivin Crosswell-Cervantes was sentenced April 29, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to one charge of c...

KTAR.com

Man sentenced to 17 years in prison for fentanyl, methamphetamine trafficking scheme in Valley

A Mexican man is facing 17 years in prison for his role in a fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking scheme in the Valley, authorities said Monday.

5 hours ago

Stock image of the exterior of a prison with concertina wire across the top of a fence in front of ...

KTAR.com

Arizona man sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing preteen girl

An Arizona man was sentenced to life in prison last week for sexually abusing a preteen girl on multiple occasions.

6 hours ago

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma believes the Secure The Border Act is different than SB1070. (Photo ...

KTAR.com

Arizona House speaker says Secure The Border Act different than SB1070, Texas immigration law

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma believes a proposed border enforcement measure that could end up on the ballot this fall is different than heavily contested immigration laws that have previously been implemented statewide and across the nation.

8 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

DESERT INSTITUTE FOR SPINE CARE

Desert Institute for Spine Care is the place for weekend warriors to fix their back pain

Spring has sprung and nothing is better than March in Arizona. The temperatures are perfect and with the beautiful weather, Arizona has become a hotbed for hikers, runners, golfers, pickleball players and all types of weekend warriors.

...

COLLINS COMFORT MASTERS

Here are 5 things Arizona residents need to know about their HVAC system

It's warming back up in the Valley, which means it's time to think about your air conditioning system's preparedness for summer.

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University Clinics: transforming health care in the valley

Midwestern University, long a fixture of comprehensive health care education in the West Valley, is also a recognized leader in community health care.

Doctor urges Maricopa County schools to be proactive in fight against measles