Measles on the Rise: What's Happening in the US?

Measles is making a comeback in the US. It's spreading fast in places like Utah, Arizona, and South Carolina. Many of those affected are kids in school. This is happening because not enough people are getting vaccinated. In South Carolina, over 138 people have caught measles. Most of them are in Spartanburg County. The state's health boss, Dr. Linda Bell, says they are finding new cases every week. This means more people, mostly kids, will be stuck in quarantine for three weeks. That's a long time, especially around the holidays. The problem is that the vaccination rate is too low. Doctors say 95% of people need to be vaccinated to stop measles from spreading. But in Spartanburg County, only 90% of school kids have had the MMR vaccine. This isn't just a problem in South Carolina. Many places in the US have low vaccination rates.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) isn't talking much about measles lately. They used to post a lot about it on social media. But this year, they've been quiet. A recent study found that the CDC has posted much less about measles and vaccines. This is a big change from how they used to handle outbreaks. Meanwhile, measles is still spreading in Utah and Arizona. In Utah, there have been 125 cases. In Arizona, nearly 190 people have caught measles. Almost all of these people weren't vaccinated. The total number of measles cases in the US is now close to a record high. So far this year, there have been 49 outbreaks. That's a lot! And 11% of the people who got measles had to go to the hospital. Three people have even died from it. This shows just how serious measles can be.