Columbia, South Carolina – Health authorities in South Carolina are are urging residents in the Upstate and all around the state to check their immunization status because diseases that may be avoided are coming back. The appeal comes as Spartanburg County is dealing with an ongoing measles outbreak, which raises bigger concerns about the drop in vaccine rates.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health says that the Upstate has experienced a gradual rise in diseases that were once rare because so many people got vaccinated. The area had 23 outbreaks of diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines between 2020 and 2025.
Measles, pertussis, and varicella are among of the diseases that spread. There were also a few cases of Haemophilus influenzae type b that were considered outbreaks since they were so rare…