Upstate home school co-op at center of latest measles cases, SC health agency says
The latest cases of measles in South Carolina are the result of an outbreak in an Upstate home school cooperative.
South Carolina’s chief epidemiologist, Linda Bell, told the media during a briefing Wednesday that six new cases have been reported since Friday. Those cases have been linked to the Willow Creek Gathers Homeschool Co-op in Duncan, Bell said.
“We’re still working to determine the number of individuals to be quarantined as a result of the exposure there,” she said.
The total number of measles cases since the outbreak centered on Spartanburg County last summer has grown to 979. Of those, 91 people are currently in quarantine, with one being held in isolation. Seventeen people tied to an outbreak at Libertas Academy remain in quarantine, and five are quarantined from an outbreak at Mabry Middle School, Bell said.
But even months later, the spread still remains largely confined. Of all cases in the South Carolina outbreak, 927 have been identified in Spartanburg County.
“We have learned of 21 hospitalizations due to measles infections, including encephalitis and pneumonia,” Bel said. “We’re working closely with our hospital partners to learn of outcomes for measles infections. Hospitals are regularly reporting to DPH about measles hospitalizations, and we’re confident that our health care partners understand the seriousness of reporting these complications to us.”
But the good news is that the rate of new infections is trending downward, and Bell said the dropoff is actually happening quicker than the Department of Public Health had previously projected.
“No one should underestimate that the hard work and long hours that frontline often entry level epidemiologists have put into this response,” Bell said. “They are largely responsible for this downward trend.”
Of those infected whose vaccination status is known, 95% were unvaccinated, and Bell reiterated calls for anyone lacking a measles vaccine to now get one.
“No vaccine offers 100% protection against infection, but the MMR vaccine has a safety profile proven over decades and is one of the most effective vaccines in preventing infection,” she said. “It’s been shown to provide lifelong protection against measles for about 90%, actually 97% of those who complete the recommended two dose series.”
She warned that the danger of further spread remains, with the potential of travel and activities around spring break having the potential to lead to further spikes.
“It’s not nearly over yet, and so it is these pockets of under-vaccinated people who remain susceptible,” Bell said. “That ongoing susceptibility in our population may continue to fuel ongoing spread.”
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