HOBBS, N.M. – As the measles outbreak continues to grow in southeast New Mexico, one daycare in Hobbs is taking precautions to make sure one of our most vulnerable populations stays safe.

“Now we’re looking out for, bumps, and I think it’s like, redness of eyes, is it? And coughs,” said Brittany Marin, supervisor of Laugh and Learn Daycare. “If they’re running a fever, have diarrhea or vomit, we send them home. And then they can’t come back until they have a good doctor’s note clearing.”

Because with kids and germs, you have to run a tight ship

“We have a cleaning schedule, so they clean the centers every day. And then we clean the walls and obviously sweep and mop,” Marin said. 

Marin says since COVID, Laugh and Learn Daycare also runs heavy-duty disinfectant foggers once a month. So, they were prepared for this outbreak.

But there are some children who don’t have a layer of protection.

“We are kind of worried for the kids that are under a year old who don’t have their vaccine yet, but we’re taking precautions to prevent it from spreading if it does,” said Marin. 

For Mirna Montes, she says she’s a little worried because she doesn’t just work for the daycare. She’s also a parent to two young kids.

She says even simple steps like checking the children for rashes can make all the difference.

If you have a child younger than 1-years-old, the New Mexico Department of Health still recommends you wait until they turn one before giving them the measles vaccine, as the department still classifies this outbreak as regional.