South Carolina measles outbreak grows to 185 cases amid vaccination worries

Officials in the US have revealed that there are now 185 cases of measles in South Carolina, an increase of nine cases from the previous week.

In the update released on Friday, state officials revealed that 172 of the cases involved people who had not received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MRM) vaccine, which was intended to prevent infection.

Four more cases involved partially vaccinated patients, four with unidentified vaccination status, and four more cases are still being investigated. A fully vaccinated person was the only person who contracted one of the infections.

More than 25 years ago, the US declared the elimination of the highly contagious and occasionally fatal measles. However, maintaining that status has become more difficult in the last year.

When there is no local transmission in a particular region, diseases are typically declared eradicate, but cases can still be “imported” from abroad.

The success of the MMR vaccine is largely attributable to its success.

The first measles vaccine was approved for use in the US in 1963, and by 1971, a combination MMR vaccine had been created to simultaneously combat the three illnesses. To become fully immunized, two shots are typically suggested.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initially set a 1982 deadline for the country’s measles elimination in 1978. It nearly 18 years later, reaching its elimination status in 2000, a step short of that goal.

However, the hesitancy in vaccinations was held responsible for the virus’s spread in the US both back then and now.

Measles has a high infection rate despite having a relatively low death rate. According to the CDC, nine out of every ten people in their immediate vicinity might be infected by the virus if just one person is infected.

According to the World Health Organization, between two and three deaths occur for every 1,000 cases that are reported.

Particularly vulnerable are children. High fever, hearing or vision loss, encephalitis, or other brain inflammation, are possible complications.

Medical professionals typically advise that children get their first vaccination as soon as they’re 15 months old and that their second dose is given by age six. The vaccine is widely accepted to be safe.

However, there is a rise in vaccine skepticism in the US, with some critics blaming policies put in place by President Donald Trump’s administration.

CDC data shows that kindergarteners in the US received 95.2% of the MMR vaccine during the 2019-2020 school year.

By the 2023-2024 school year, that percentage had dropped to 92.7 percent, or 280, 000 kindergarteners’ differences.

The measles virus’ resurgence in 2025 marked a significant milestone. The CDC reported 2, 065 measles cases last year, the highest number since 1991, and more than seven times the rate of 2024, when only 285 cases were reported.

Three people died from the virus in one of the biggest outbreaks in Texas, which was first reported in February. No measles death has been reported in the US since 2015 prior to that incident.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the health and human services secretary of Trump’s administration, wrote on social media that the MMR vaccine is the best tool to stop the spread of measles in the wake of that death.

However, Kennedy, who isn’t a doctor, has since expressed opinions that appeared to defend the use of the vaccine.

For instance, he claimed in late April that the MMR vaccine contains a lot of DNA and fetus debris.

However, experts have refuted that claim as false. No fetal tissue has been used since, and the vaccine has no fetal issue. The vaccine’s rubella portion was created using a cell culture from an elective abortion in the 1960s.

Despite widespread outcry from the medical profession, Kennedy has also spread unfounded assertions that vaccination may be linked to autism.

The northwest is where the measles outbreak is right now is most pronounced in South Carolina. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Health, children under the age of 17 are most frequently the victims of reported infections.

Pediatrician Annie Andrews, a Democratic candidate in the state’s midterm elections in 2026, has made combating the outbreak a key component of her campaign. In November’s vote, she intends to challenge Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

Source: Aljazeera