By Jonathan Ferreira
South Carolina is reporting a sharp rise in measles cases as public health officials warn the United States could lose its elimination status. Authorities confirmed eighty eight new infections, bringing the state total to six hundred forty six cases since October. More than five hundred people including students across fifteen schools are now quarantined after exposure. The outbreak is the largest seen in the state in decades and follows a severe wave previously recorded in Texas. Health officials say the virus spreads easily through coughs and sneezes and can infect most unvaccinated people nearby, making containment especially difficult.
The outbreak is centred in Spartanburg, a town of about thirty nine thousand residents, and has spread to Clemson and Anderson universities where dozens of students remain isolated. There is no specific treatment for measles and infections can cause serious complications such as pneumonia or swelling of the brain. The disease was declared eliminated nationally in two thousand, but declining vaccination rates have allowed it to return. Two doses of the vaccine are ninety seven percent effective, yet coverage in the affected county remains well below levels needed for community protection.
Across the country the past year has seen more than two thousand measles infections, with deaths reported in Texas and large clusters in Utah and Arizona. Experts link the resurgence to vaccine skepticism and mixed messaging from national leaders. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior has sometimes endorsed immunization while also questioning safety and promoting unproven alternatives. Doctors stress that high vaccination coverage near ninety five percent is essential to protect vulnerable groups and to prevent the United States from losing its long-standing elimination status. Officials urge parents to check records, follow quarantine guidance, and seek medical advice quickly when symptoms such as fever or rash appear in communities nationwide.
