Student suspected of having measles cleared to return to school

Officials with the Desert Sands Unified School District said the Palm Desert High School student suspected of having measles has been cleared to return to school.

Barbara Cole with the Riverside County Health Department said, “Anyone suspected of having a possible case of the measles would not be allowed to return to school until they were no longer contagious.”

Due to confidentiality laws, Cole said they can’t speak about specifics of this case, but did say that if a person tests positive for measles they are only considered contagious four days before showing signs, and four days after showing signs.

Cole said the Palm Desert High School student is still considered a suspected case of measles and they are awaiting other test results to confirm if the student ever had measles in the first place.

As of now, there are only four confirmed cases of measles in Riverside County.

The Health Department and school district sent a letter home to parents on Monday warning them about the potential case. District officials said no other students are showing signs of the measles.

News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will deliver updates as they come to us.