Measles outbreaks surge across U.S. schools as vaccination rates decline

This morning, health officials are sounding the alarm as measles cases surge nationwide, disrupting classrooms and forcing hundreds of students into quarantine.

(NBC)- This morning, health officials are sounding the alarm as measles cases surge nationwide, disrupting classrooms and forcing hundreds of students into quarantine. In South Carolina, more than 150 unvaccinated children from two schools have been ordered to stay home for three weeks — the incubation period during which symptoms such as fever, cough, or rash may appear.

“You have to then stay away from school for three weeks, which is going to hurt your ability to learn,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert. “Hundreds of children now are suffering the fact that they aren’t going to be able to go to school. And that’s just one of the many consequences of these kinds of outbreaks.”

The situation is similar in Minnesota, where an outbreak in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area has led to 118 students being quarantined, according to state health officials. In central Ohio, a preschool was temporarily closed after a reported measles exposure.Meanwhile, one of the largest multi-state outbreaks of the year continues to spread along the Arizona–Utah border, where more than 100 people have been diagnosed. An NBC News investigation found that childhood vaccination rates have dropped in 77% of U.S. counties and jurisdictions since 2019. That decline has heightened the risk for communities with large numbers of unvaccinated residents.

In St. Louis, Missouri, parents Ryan and Emily Pratt say they fear for their 9-year-old daughter, who has an autoimmune disease.

“One child or adult could cause an outbreak,” Emily Pratt said. “She could have life-threatening complications from it.”

The CDC confirms more than 1,500 measles cases this year, marking the highest number since 1992. Some critics have pointed to what they call mixed messaging from the Trump administration on vaccines. The president recently suggested breaking up the MMR shot — measles, mumps, and rubella — into three separate doses. However, the CDC maintains the MMR vaccine is safe and highly effective, emphasizing there is no link between the vaccine and autism.

Dr. Offit warned that the problem is likely to intensify as the weather cools.
“As we enter the winter months,” he said, “I suspect this is only going to get worse.”