The U.S. will likely lose its measles elimination status. Here's what that means

[riversedge]

Source: npr


January 31, 20267:00 AM ET


The measles outbreak in South Carolina is showing little sign of slowing down. The state has confirmed 847 cases since the first case was reported in October, making the outbreak bigger than the one in Texas, which started just over a year ago.

Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina's state epidemiologist, points out that in Texas, measles cases grew over the course of seven months, while in South Carolina it has taken just 16 weeks to surpass the Texas case count.

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The state on Friday reported 58 new cases since Tuesday.

This latest outbreak, as well as the speed at which it is spreading, is another test of the United States' ability to contain measles. It comes as the Trump administration has taken multiple steps to undermine overall confidence in vaccines.

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.................."We maintained elimination for 25 years. And so now, to be facing its loss, it really points to the cycle of panic and neglect, where I think that we have forgotten what it's like to face widespread measles."

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/31/nx-s1-5694681/measles-elimination-status-south-carolina-texas-outbreak

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https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6883x4589+0+0/resize/1200/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F94%2F18%2F21abb1e14cc397227ddc8dce30cf%2Fap25099777459442.jpg
A measles vaccination clinic at the Andrews County Health Department in Texas last year.
Annie Rice/AP

[rampartd]

1. "hell of a job, bobby"

what is wrong with these people?

[riversedge]

2. . For some reason, somebody decided that you can apply for a religious exemption and anyone that applies for this can ge

.............."It's absolute insanity," Smith said. "She was totally dehydrated. We have laws on our books that require vaccinations. For some reason, somebody decided that you can apply for a religious exemption and anyone that applies for this can get it."

And it's not just religious exemptions; most states allow parents to get some form of nonmedical exemption to school vaccination requirements, either for philosophical or personal reasons or religious ones.


A growing trend nationwide

The new JAMA study found the rate of nonmedical exemptions has risen steadily in the majority of U.S. counties, and this trend has accelerated since the pandemic......

In most states, even if the overall vaccination rate is high, there are pockets with higher rates of these nonmedical exemptions, says Dr. Nathan Lo, a physician-scientist with Stanford University and one of the study's authors.


"When you think about infectious disease outbreaks, it only takes a really small pocket of under-vaccinated individuals to create and sustain an outbreak," Lo says..................

[Shipwack]

5. Of course, if a parent's moral desires mean that...

… their child should get gender affirming care, that can be ignored.

[70sEraVet]

3. One more reason for foreign tourists to look to other destinations.

[Buddyzbuddy]

4. It should be named the DJT/RFK Measles Epidemic.