Spartanburg, United States. Medical staff at a paediatric clinic in South Carolina are screening patients for measles in car parks up to a dozen times a day as the state records a major outbreak linked to declining vaccination rates.
Outdoor triage at Parkside Pediatrics
Dr Justin Moll began conducting outdoor triage at Parkside Pediatrics in Spartanburg in December to reduce the risk of the virus spreading in waiting rooms with infants too young for immunisation. The clinic has treated about 50 measles patients since the outbreak began in early October, which Moll described as an unprecedented caseload for the practice.
Case numbers and hospitalisations
The South Carolina outbreak has surpassed 930 cases, with about 20 requiring hospitalisation, according to state health officials. No deaths have been reported.
Declining immunisation rates
The surge follows an almost three percentage point drop in school immunisation rates statewide since 2020, as opposition to vaccines intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical experts said US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s anti-vaccine positions have further reduced public confidence in immunisations.
“This is not going to be the last vaccine-preventable disease to hit us,” Moll said at his Spartanburg clinic, which he described as the outbreak’s epicentre.
Only 89% of students from kindergarten through secondary school in Spartanburg County are current on their vaccinations, below the 95% threshold public health experts consider necessary to prevent measles transmission. Some local schools have seen vaccination rates fall below 20%, according to state data.
Federal response and measles transmission
During previous outbreaks, federal authorities coordinated nationwide vaccination campaigns. Kennedy has made no major statements regarding the South Carolina situation. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.
Measles is among the most contagious viruses, transmitted through coughing, sneezing and speaking. It can remain airborne for up to two hours and can spread rapidly in communities with insufficient vaccination coverage.
Political leaders retreat from vaccine advocacy
Some South Carolina Republicans now question the backlash against routine immunisation but find themselves marginalised.
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