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Measles Test Comes Back Negative For Placer County Patient

PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) - A Sacramento County man who was recently treated at an urgent care center and hospital in Placer County and suspected of having measles has tested negative for the illness.

Health officials made the announcement on Friday. On Wednesday it was reported that tests also came back negative in a second suspected measles case involving a child in Elk Grove.

There are currently no confirmed cases of measles in Sacramento or Placer counties.

"We have been fortunate so far that none of the results have been positive," said Dr. Robert Oldham, Placer County's public health officer. "But it is quite possible that we will see a positive case in the not too distant future and we have to prepare for that possibility."

The California Department of Public Health reported this week that 79 measles cases were confirmed in California from January 1-28. Of those cases, 52 were linked to an initial exposure at Disneyland.

Both counties remain on high alert for suspected measles cases and officials urge the public to get unvaccinated residents to get the vaccine.

"This is a highly contagious disease that knows no political boundaries," said Oldham. "We live in an area where people live in Placer County but work in Sacramento County, or live in Sacramento but shop and dine or work in Placer County. So, this is a regional issue that we are working together closely on to educate the public about the risks and the best prevention, which is vaccination."

At this time, there has not been a confirmed case of measles in either Sacramento or Placer counties.

Placer County has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

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