Hundreds Quarantined In South Carolina Measles Outbreak

There's so much political news out of Washington that this got lost in the shuffle. Measles can do so much long-term damage to kids, let alone kill them. These churches that encourage members not to get vaccinated need some kind of public reckoning, because they affect everyone around them, not just their members. Via the New York Times:

More than 250 people who were exposed to measles, including dozens of unvaccinated school-aged children, are quarantining in South Carolina as the state wrestles to contain an outbreak that has sickened more than 110 people.

The outbreak comes during what has already been one of the worst years for the virus since it was declared eliminated in the United States more than two decades ago.

Cases have been centered in Spartanburg County, along the northern border of the state, and the virus appears to be widely spreading through the community: People have been exposed at a church, a health care building and several schools.

The outbreak, which started in October, shows no signs of slowing, likely because of the county’s “lower-than-hoped-for vaccination coverage,” Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina’s state epidemiologist, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

read more

Susie Madrakمصدر