With baby Arthur too young for the measles vaccine and a sibling due in June, the Otwells grew nervous when the threat of the highly contagious virus started factoring into their grocery runs. "We go to the Costco that was kind of a hotbed," said John Otwell. "A lot of people just don't get it; they think it's just a cold. It's not." By Arthur's 9-month checkup, the South Carolina outbreak had exploded into the nation's worst in more than 35 years, surpassing last year's in Texas. That meant that under state guidance, Arthur could get his first dose of the MMR vaccine—for measles, mumps, and rubella—earlier than the usual 12 to 15 months old. Their new baby won't be able to get the shot until at least 6 months—a prospect that worries parents of infants wherever measles spreads.
Babies too young to be vaccinated are among the most vulnerable in a measles outbreak, reports the AP. The disease can wreak havoc on their fragile bodies, making them so sick they stop eating and drinking. They can develop pneumonia or brain swelling, and sometimes die. Babies depend entirely on herd immunity—at least 95% of a community must be vaccinated to prevent measles outbreaks. But dropping vaccination rates have eroded protection in South Carolina and across the nation. In Spartanburg County, the outbreak's epicenter, less than 90% of students have gotten required vaccines. "Babies become sitting ducks," said Dr. Deborah Greenhouse, a Columbia pediatrician. "The burden is on all of us to protect all of us."
South Carolina's measles outbreak, totaling about 1,000 cases, has slowed. But measles is spreading in many states, with 17 outbreaks this year and 48 last year, and the US on the verge of losing its status as a country that has eliminated measles. Dr. Jessica Early never thought she'd have to deal with measles, but she and other doctors began offering an approved infant MMR dose as early as 6 months old. Her practice also started giving the second MMR dose—usually for ages 4 to 6 years old—early.
Increasingly, some policymakers push a view of vaccination as an issue of individual freedom and parents' rights, rather than one of public health to safeguard the population as a whole. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine crusader, has sought to remake vaccine policy and oversaw billions in public health cuts. Last year, an AP investigation found that Trump administration officials were directing activists to push anti-science legislation in statehouses. Nationally, around 350 anti-vaccine bills had been introduced as of late October, AP found, including at least eight in South Carolina. This year, a state bill would prohibit requiring vaccines for children under 2. "In other words, it would get rid of those requirements in the day cares," Greenhouse said. "And for people like me, that is a gut punch that is terrifying."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
