By Chad Terhune and Julie Steenhusen
SPARTANBURG, South Carolina/Chicago, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Measles vaccinations have doubled in recent months in the South Carolina region hit by the worst U.S. outbreak in more than two decades, but health officials have warned that more vaccinations are needed to contain the spread of the virus.
This outbreak, as in other areas, has been fueled by an increase in vaccine hesitancy following the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left many American communities at risk of outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
In Spartanburg County, near the North Carolina border and at the epicenter of the latest outbreak, the number of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine doses has increased 102% over the past four months compared to the same period a year ago, according to state data shared with Reuters. More than 1,000 more shots were sent in January.
Statewide, MMR vaccinations increased 28% during the same four-month period.
“These monthly totals are the highest we’ve seen in years,” South Carolina state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said in emailed comments to Reuters.
She said 1,178 doses of the MMR vaccine were administered to six- to 11-month-old infants across the state. Of those, 55% were in Spartanburg County and neighboring Greenville County.
“These initial doses are essential to protect young children from measles,” she said.
Bell said there are a few thousand children and adults who need the measles vaccine in Spartanburg County.
Herd immunity requires 95% coverage
Measles, the most contagious of pathogens, requires 95% of the population to be vaccinated to prevent its spread. In Spartanburg County, 89% of school children have received required immunizations, state statistics show.
Three Spartanburg-area pediatricians told Reuters the increase in vaccinations reflects a variety of patients and motives.
Many parents are seeking early MMR shots for babies at six to 11 months, rather than waiting for the first dose to be given at 12 months, doctors said. Parents are also given a second dose, which is usually given at age four. The MMR vaccine is 97% effective after two doses.
They added that some families are catching up on routine shots they missed before the outbreak, while other patients may be seeking vaccination after exposure, which could exempt them from quarantine if administered within 72 hours.
Louis Eubank, deputy incident commander for South Carolina measles response, said in an email that mobile health units have mainly vaccinated adults, while the increase reported by clinics and pharmacies has mainly been in children under four years old.
However, it has been difficult to reach people who are hesitant about all vaccines and convince them to come in for the MMR shot, pediatricians said.
Stuart Simko, a pediatrician at Prisma Health in Greer, South Carolina, in the northwest corner of the state, said the increase in cases and the increased risk in schools and communities have recently encouraged more parents to vaccinate their children.
“We’re calling people who have been vaccinated. I think we’ve gotten to the point where, ‘Oh wow. It looks like more than just smoke. It’s starting to catch fire,'” Simko said.
“That fear is starting to come out among people and understand that you can go to Walmart and be exposed.”
(Reporting by Chad Terhune in Spartanburg and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Additional reporting by Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Edmund Claman)
