University Of California System Will Require Measles Vaccine For New Students

By Eyder Peralta / NPR

Published February 6, 2015 at 1:32 PM PST

This story was published more than 9 years ago.

In this handout from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a histopathology of measles pneumonia is seen in this microscope image from 1972.

The University of California system, with an enrollment of about 233,000, will require incoming students to be vaccinated for measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, meningococcus, tetanus and whooping cough beginning in 2017.

Currently, the university only requires that students be vaccinated against hepatitis B.

In a statement, the university said that this new plan has been in the works for a year, but the current measles vaccine has made it more "pressing."

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The Los Angeles Times reports:

"The move comes amid growing calls for more action to stop the spread of the disease and get more people immunized. "On Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown appeared open to legislation that would eliminate all but medical waivers. "The governor's new flexibility highlighted a growing momentum toward limiting vaccination exemptions partly blamed for the state's worst outbreak of measles since 2000 and flare-ups of whooping cough and other preventable illnesses."

So far this year, the CDC has counted 102 cases of measles. Most of those stem from an outbreak at Disneyland that began in December.