US Measles Outbreak Triggers Quarantine At 2 Los Angeles Universities

A measles outbreak has led health officials to quarantine dozens of people at two Los Angeles universities, foreign media reported.

The quarantine affects the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) and comes as the United States battles the highest number of measles cases since the country declared the virus eliminated in 2000.

The United States media reported 695 cases of measles, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. Many of the case occurred in the states of New York and Washington.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the recent measles outbreak in the United States.

President Trump has told Americans to "get their shots" as measles cases spread across the country.

"The vaccinations are so important," he told reporters outside the White House.

The virus can lead to deadly complications, but no measles deaths have been reported in the latest US outbreak.

US public health officials have blamed the nationwide outbreak, which coincides with a global rise in the prevalence of the disease, in part on the spread of misinformation about the safety of vaccines.

Although the disease was eliminated from the country in 2000, meaning the virus was no longer continually present year-round, outbreaks still happen via travelers coming from countries where measles is common, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

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