US Measles Outbreaks Grow: SC Quarantines Hundreds, Cases Near 2,000

• Measles outbreaks are spreading in South Carolina and along the Utah-Arizona border, leading to hundreds being quarantined.
• South Carolina has confirmed 111 measles cases in two months, with 27 new cases recently, and over 250 people, including students, are in quarantine.
• The Utah-Arizona border outbreak has sickened 172 in Mohave County, AZ, and 82 in Southwest Utah, contributing to 176 cases in AZ and 115 in UT this year.
• The U.S. is nearing 2,000 measles cases nationally this year, raising concerns about losing its measles elimination status, which Canada and the Americas region recently lost.
• Experts attribute the resurgence to declining vaccination rates, despite the MMR vaccine offering 97% protection after two doses.

Why It Matters: Measles outbreaks threaten US public health, risking its eliminated disease status.