LOS ANGELES —The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last week approved a motion by Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis to strengthen the county’s efforts to prevent the spread of measles following the largest national outbreak in decades. As of mid-May, more than 1,000 confirmed cases have been reported across 31 U.S. jurisdictions, including California.

“Measles was once eliminated in the United States thanks to vaccines,” said Chair Pro Tem Solis. “Now, with this outbreak, we face a renewed threat to public health — one that is entirely preventable. We must act urgently to increase vaccination rates, improve tracking and combat the dangerous misinformation that threatens to undo decades of progress. Protecting our most vulnerable residents, especially young children and immunocompromised individuals, is a responsibility we cannot take lightly. Los Angeles County is committed to leading a strong, coordinated response that safeguards every community from this preventable disease.”

The motion directs county health departments to promote measles vaccination, improve tracking and reporting of immunizations to the State of California’s immunization registry and assess adult vaccination coverage across county health systems. It also calls for hospitals to serve as referral sites for immune globulin post-exposure treatment for uninsured or high-risk individuals exposed to measles.

The motion further seeks to increase public outreach, particularly in under-vaccinated communities, by partnering with schools, community health workers and trusted local organizations. County departments are also tasked with expanding multilingual public messaging campaigns to combat misinformation about the measles, mumps and rubella or MMR vaccine.