At least 153 children from two South Carolina schools have been quarantined for 21 days due to measles contact, state health authorities revealed.
Officials stated that the quarantined students had not been vaccinated. Spartanburg County is home to both Global Academy of South Carolina and Fairforest Elementary Schools. The outbreak has spread to at least eight measles cases, with a total of 11 cases registered in the state this year.
The United States has reported at least 1,563 measles cases this year, the largest number since 1992, according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. There have been 44 measles outbreaks recorded this year. In comparison, there were 16 outbreaks reported previous year.
It coincides with a statewide decline in MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccination rates. Prior to the pandemic, more than 95% of kindergarteners had received the MMR vaccine. That figure has since dropped to 92.5% in the most recent school year.
Due to the reduced rates, an estimated 286,000 kindergarteners are not protected from measles.
