“That is a spike in cases we are concerned about,” Bell stated, noting that South Carolina has “lower than hoped for” vaccination coverage.<\/p>\n
The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 93% effective after one dose and 97% effective after two doses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<\/p>\n
State officials have placed 254 people in quarantine, including 16 who are in isolation.<\/p>\n
At least 16 new cases were traced to recent gatherings at the Way of Truth Church in Inman. Bell said the church has cooperated with the health department’s recommendations.<\/p>\n
The outbreak comes at a time of heightened debate over vaccines nationwide. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been a well-known vaccine skeptic, raising concern among public health experts about the impact on vaccination rates.<\/p>\n
The CDC has reported<\/a> 1,912 measles cases across 42 states this year, more than half in children.<\/p>\n Many cases stem from communities where vaccination rates have dropped since the pandemic.<\/p>\n In South Carolina, 20 cases involved kids younger than 5, and 75 cases were found in children ages 5 to 17. School vaccination rates in the state have fallen from nearly 96% in 2020 to 93.5% in the current school year, data<\/a> show.<\/p>\n Measles spreads with ease. Up to 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to the virus will become infected.<\/p>\n People can spread the virus for four days before a rash appears, and particles can stay in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves a room.<\/p>\n The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning it was no longer spreading continuously.<\/p>\n But that status is at risk.<\/p>\n “And so now that we are … at the brink of seeing continued transmission in the United States for almost a year now, we’ve run the risk of losing that designation as a country,” Bell said.<\/p>\n “What we’d like people to see is that picture: to consider the effectiveness of the vaccine and having this disease essentially go away,” she added.<\/p>\n The CDC estimates that 1 to 2 of every 1,000 measles-infected children will die, often from pneumonia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Two girls in Texas died earlier this year during another large outbreak, and officials suspect a man in New Mexico also died of measles.<\/p>\n Bell said she expects transmission in South Carolina to continue “for many more weeks” unless more people get vaccinated.<\/p>\n More information<\/p>\n
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