Jan 21 (Reuters) – The ongoing measles outbreak in South Carolina could drag on for weeks or months amid slow vaccine uptake, the state epidemiologist warned on Wednesday, as rising infections and new public exposures raise the risk of wider spread.
“The current trajectory where we are seeing double digit cases that are newly identified each day … is very concerning,” state epidemiologist Linda Bell told reporters during a briefing, adding that the outbreak may drag on for “potentially months more” if there’s no change in protective behaviors.
South Carolina’s health department on Tuesday reported 646 measles cases tied to the ongoing outbreak, an increase of 88 since Friday, with at least 538 people in quarantine after being exposed to the virus.
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)
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