School in Salinas vulnerable to measles

The state shows John Steinbeck Elementary School had less than 70 percent of its students fully vaccinated just last year.

Jennifer Eusebio’s son goes to John Steinbeck Elementary and she said she had no idea that many students weren’t fully vaccinated.

“It makes me nervous to know that there is a high number of children here that are not vaccinated. im glad that my son is vaccinated,” said Eusebio

There’s a website called shotsforschool.org that people can go onto check and see where their school falls under vulnerable categories.

Those numbers from the last school year puts John Steinbeck in the “most vulnerable category” to an outbreak of various diseases.

Monterey County Public Health Department said they want to see all schools at least 90 percent vaccinated.

Kristy Michie of Monterey County Public Health Department said,
“If we fall below that, the risk of spreading to other people in the community is much higher. With measles if you are unvaccinated against measles and exposed to measles you have a nine out of ten chance of getting measles.”

News Channel 5 asked the Alisal Union School District about the numbers.

“We have managed to get those numbers up above the 70 percent threshold that made us a little less vulnerable but we are working hard to follow up with parents to make sure that they’re children are fully immunized,” said Marcos Cabrera of the school district.

Cabrera said as of January 86 percent of kindergarteners are at full compliance with immunization records. The district does monthly checkups with parents of students who are not fully vaccinated.

That makes parents like Jennifer Eusebio feel a lot more comfortable sending her son to school every day.

The Monterey County Health Department made a letter available on it’s website Thursday and plans to make it available to all school districts in the county. The document gives more specifics on how to protect your child and more vaccination information.