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California Gov. Jerry Brown issued an emergency proclamation Friday that will allow the state to increase its supply of vaccines amid a hepatitis A outbreak that has killed more than a dozen people.
The outbreak involves more than 570 of cases in San Diego, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles counties. In San Diego County, 490 people have fallen ill and 18 people have died from the liver disease since March of this year, according to the California Department of Public Health.
In Los Angeles County, 13 people have fallen ill, according to county health officials.
It’s the worst hepatitis A outbreak in the United States transmitted from person to person — instead of by contaminated food — since the vaccine became available in 1996. California health officials say the majority affected are homeless, using drugs or both.