At the very least 153 college students from two faculties in South Carolina are underneath quarantine for 21 days resulting from measles exposures, state well being officers introduced.
The quarantined college students weren’t vaccinated, officers added. The faculties are each positioned in Spartanburg County: International Academy of South Carolina and Fairforest Elementary. The outbreak has grown to at the very least eight measles instances, with a complete of 11 instances reported total within the state this yr.
The U.S. has reported at the very least 1,563 measles instances this yr – the best quantity since 1992, the newest Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention information present. There have been 44 measles outbreaks reported this yr. Compared, 16 outbreaks had been reported final yr.
It comes amid declining MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccination charges nationwide. Over 95% of kindergarteners had been vaccinated with the MMR shot previous to the pandemic. That determine has now fallen to 92.5% in the newest college yr.
The decrease charges go away an estimated 286,000 kindergarteners with out safety from measles.