Urgent: 153 Unvaccinated SC Students Quarantined After Measles Exposure
UPDATE: At least 153 unvaccinated students in South Carolina are currently quarantining after being exposed to measles at two local schools. The South Carolina Department of Public Health confirmed this alarming development during a media briefing on October 5, 2023. Students from Global Academy and Fairforest Elementary School were identified as having been in contact with an infected individual, necessitating their exclusion from school to prevent further transmission.
Local health officials stated that these students will remain in quarantine until the risk of disease transmission has passed. The state has now reported 11 confirmed cases of measles this year, with eight cases occurring since September 25. “What this case tells us is that there is active, unrecognized community transmission of measles occurring in the Upstate,” officials emphasized, underscoring the urgent need for vaccinations.
The health department issued a stark warning: measles is highly contagious and can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves a location. Protecting oneself with the measles vaccine, typically administered as part of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine, is the best defense against the virus. Serious complications from measles can include severe lung infections, brain damage, and even death.
This outbreak in South Carolina is part of a concerning trend across the United States. For instance, health officials in Minnesota recently reported two new measles cases, raising the state’s total for the year to 20. These cases predominantly involve unvaccinated children, who likely contracted the virus from an unvaccinated adult.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported earlier this year that the U.S. faced its highest number of measles cases in over 30 years, with a significant outbreak in West Texas resulting in the tragic deaths of two children. Alarmingly, vaccination rates have dropped; about 93% of kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles in the 2021-2022 school year, down to 92.7% for the 2023-2024 school year, a critical threshold for community immunity.
Officials stress that a vaccination rate exceeding 95% is necessary to maintain herd immunity. Unfortunately, the upstate region currently reports only about 90% immunity, leaving the community susceptible to potential outbreaks.
As the situation develops, the South Carolina Department of Public Health continues to collaborate with schools to implement precautionary measures. The public is urged to ensure their vaccinations are up to date. The urgency of this outbreak cannot be understated; measles poses a significant health risk, and protecting the community starts with individual action.
Stay tuned for further updates as health officials monitor the situation closely.
