Free Vaccinations Mark Effort to Halt Measles Outbreak

Free measles vaccinations will be given by volunteer doctors and nurses on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at various locations throughout Los Angeles County. The South Bay clinic will be held at Carl’s Jr., 14208 Hawthorne Blvd., Hawthorne.

The clinics have been arranged through the Los Angeles County Medical Assn. in an effort to stop the spread of what they describe as the area’s worst measles epidemic since the 1970s.

Dr. Marie G. Kuffner, chairwoman of the Measles Immunization Project, said “parents should have their children immunized right away, especially if they are preschool age.”

So far this year, six Los Angeles County residents have died and more than 2,000 cases of measles have been reported, compared to 1,202 cases in all of 1989. More than half of these cases were among preschool-age children.

Doctors advise that children should be at least a year old and should have their immunization records with them. If these documents are not available, they will be provided at the site. For more information and location of other clinic sites, call the medical association at 483-1581.