South Carolina measles cases easing earlier than expected, health official says

By Siddhi Mahatole and Mariam Sunny

Feb 25 (Reuters) – South Carolina has reported a drop in measles cases over the past two weeks, an encouraging sign that the outbreak may be easing earlier than anticipated, a state health official said in a briefing on Wednesday.

“The hard work and long hours that frontline, often entry-level epidemiologists, have put into this response are largely responsible for this downward trend that is actually occurring a bit earlier than previously projected,” said Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina’s epidemiologist, adding that the outbreak “is not by any means over.”

The outbreak, which began in October and centered in the northwest part of the state, has slowed, dropping from more than 70 new cases in the first week of February to 23 new cases last week.

Bell said funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has allowed the state to temporarily expand its epidemiology workforce, and that it will seek additional analytical support from scientists and infectious-disease specialists to help evaluate the data and guide future response efforts.

The state has sought the help of infectious disease experts from the nonprofit CDC Foundation to contain the outbreak that has quickly become the nation’s largest since 1992, with 979 cases reported as of Tuesday.

Health officials had warned that the widening outbreak could last weeks or months amid lagging vaccine uptake.

Bell said pockets of undervaccinated communities could fuel the outbreak and allow cases to spill into areas with otherwise high vaccine coverage.

She said the upcoming spring-break holiday period could increase exposure, particularly if unvaccinated or otherwise susceptible people travel or visit crowded tourist areas.

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)