SPARTANBURG, South Carolina — A mobile measles vaccine clinic parked behind the local library welcomed only one visitor on a recent Monday, highlighting the challenges public health officials face as Spartanburg County grapples with a rapidly spreading measles outbreak. The county has reported over 50 cases since early October, part of a larger national resurgence that health authorities fear could jeopardize the United States’ measles elimination status for the first time in over 20 years.
State epidemiologist Linda Bell noted that attendance at the mobile clinics has been much lower than anticipated, despite the spread of cases to schools, a church, and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded more than 1,700 cases and 45 outbreaks across the country this year, with significant clusters occurring in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Kansas.
Spartanburg County’s vaccination rate ranks among the lowest in South Carolina, with nearly 6,000 students—about 10 percent of the county’s enrollment—lacking necessary immunization records last year. The increase in religious exemptions, which surged sixfold in the Upstate region over the past decade, has left schools more vulnerable. Global Academy of South Carolina, a charter school associated with the outbreak, reported that only 17 percent of its students met vaccine requirements.
Experts attribute declining vaccine confidence to misinformation, “health freedom” rhetoric, and skepticism stemming from the pandemic era. Although the Department of Public Health has promoted MMR vaccination, outreach efforts have been less vigorous compared to previous COVID-19 campaigns. However, recent data indicates that vaccine uptake in the county has doubled from last year, providing cautious optimism as over 130 people remain in quarantine.
Sources
• News From the States – MBFC Rating
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