Tag: Measles
South Carolina Measles Outbreak Worsens
111
The South Carolina measles outbreak is “accelerating.” At least 111 people have contracted the contagious viral infection in South Carolina since October, and more than 250 people are quarantined, according to the state’s public health department. Officials blamed the outbreak on “lower-than-hoped-for” vaccination rates: Of the 111 cases, 105 were unvaccinated, the health department said. Measles, which is most common among unvaccinated children, was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona this year.
U.S. Measles Cases Just Reached a 33-Year High
Measles cases in the U.S. have reached a 33-year high, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI). The center reports that there are now 1,277 confirmed cases across 38 states and the District of Columbia, the highest annual tally since 1992. The U.S. had achieved measles-free status in 2000.
“It’s a harbinger of things to come,” Eric Ball, a leading pediatrician, told the Washington Post. “Once we see a resurgence of measles, we know that other diseases are going to come behind it.”
Even amid a flurry of vaccine disinformation, the rate of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella vaccine) jabs administered in 2019 was at 95% — the rate experts believe curtails outbreaks. It has now slid to below 93%, and outbreaks are occurring in dozens of states. Anti-vaccine messaging and distrust in federal health agencies have contributed to the decline.
Three people have died of measles-related complications this year, while 155 people have been hospitalized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that just three people died of measles complications between 2001 and 2024.
