‘Staring over the edge’
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- South Carolina is experiencing a rapidly growing measles outbreak, with over 200 new cases reported in the past week, bringing the total since last fall to 558 confirmed cases.
- The outbreak primarily affects unvaccinated children and teenagers, with about 200 people currently infected and over 500 in quarantine; eight hospitalizations have been reported due to complications.
- Vaccination rates in affected counties like Spartanburg and Greenville are below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity, and free vaccination efforts have seen low community uptake.
- The outbreak is linked to communities with vaccine hesitancy, including immigrants from Ukraine with historical distrust of vaccines, complicating public health efforts to increase immunization.
- Measles cases have spread beyond South Carolina to
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