Public Health Department confirms first 2026 measles case in Los Angeles County
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The Department of Public Health has confirmed the first measles case this year in Los Angeles County.Officials say the person who tested positive for measles had recently traveled outside the country.The department is now working to identify people who may have been in contact with the individual and are checking their vaccination status.“Measles is a serious respiratory disease that spreads easily through the air and on surfaces, particularly among people who are not already protected from it,” Los Angeles County Health Officer Dr.
Muntu Davis said in a statement.“A person can spread the illness to others before they have symptoms, and it can take seven to twenty-one days for symptoms to show up after exposure.
Measles can lead to severe disease in young children and vulnerable adults.As L.A.
County residents begin to travel this summer and with measles cases increasing among those who have recently traveled, we remind everyone that the best way to protect yourself and your family from infection is with the highly effective measles vaccine.” Science & Medicine Under Robert F.Kennedy Jr., the Trump administration’s health agencies have muddled vaccine messaging.
The result is that vaccine-preventable diseases like measles are surging in the U.S.The Department of Health and Human Services announced major changes to the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine schedule this month, reducing the number of diseases it recommends regular vaccination for from 17 to 11.
The CDC still recommends that all children be vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV) and varicella, also known as chickenpox.According to the CDC, there were 4,485 confirmed measles cases in the U.S.from Jan.
1, 2000, to Dec.31, 2024.
In 2025, there were 2,242...