Measles continues raging in South Carolina; 99 new cases since Tuesday

With so many exposures sites, officials can't figure out where people were infected.

See full article...

 

[ComradeMatis]

Unfortunately in this episode of FAFO (Fuck Around and Find Out) there are innocent kids getting a serious viral infection because parents decided that making their whole voting decision regarding 0.5% (the percentage of the population that are trans) is a sure fire way of making America health again. What are the chances that these MAHA morons in 4 years time are going to deny they ever voted for Trump in much the same way those who voted for George W Bush twice quickly purged their social media of any reference the moment the tide turned against him.

 

[Mindstatic]

Yes, but I don’t have a pithy meme to convey nuance. As someone who has fit into the immunocompromised category at times, and has friends/family who do as well, I’m first to roll up my sleeve and protect myself and others in exchange for a little poke.

I have wondered if anyone’s bothered to make a self-defense argument that anti-vaxxers are a threat and should be treated as such. I’m not a lawyer but I would buy one a beer to see if they can construct a “theory of the case” for it. Bonus round on me if we can work the 2nd amendment into it too.

I mean, "right to bare arms (for a jab)" is right there...

 

[MDCCCLV]

You know who is vaccinated against this readily preventable disease?

This guy (points to self).

Way back in the 1960s, when the vaccine was far less tested but everyone had a fresh memory of how bad it was.

It has lifelong protection but it does decrease in effectiveness .04% a year, so if you did get it in the 60s it would be 2% less effective now. Which isn't a lot, but if it's circulating it can still be a good idea to get another MMR if you haven't had one this millennium since its infectiousness rate is so high.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/2...g-of-MMR-vaccine-effectiveness-over-time.aspx

 

[bebu]

the moment the Poles and Finns get involved Russia is toast.

there is shitload of history that could be settled there !

 

[bebu]

One does not need to be a doctor to figure out that drinking raw milk and then jumping out of a 83rd story window

I would actually prescribe that remedy for the ailments afflicting much of the population of the US. [Raw milk optional.]

 

[bebu]

Some people are saying that going out and catching measles on purpose is actually a great way to reverse male pattern baldness, turn a beer belly into a six pack, and cure impotence. I can't verify one way or the other, as I'm not a doctor. Do your own research, people.

I assumed this was the blackest of humour but this is the US and unfortunately I can believe that significantly more than just a few totally demented Americans would actually credit this absolute twaddle.

Being sufficiently old and with my contempories I ticked all the boxes on the childhood diseases bingo card including rubella and rubeola but mumps also stands out - get that later in life you might not be impotent but sterility is a real possibility.

Why any sane person would wish to inflict this suffering on their children always completely flabbergasts me.

It's "suffer little children... to come unto me" not "little children suffer... to come unto me" !

 

[rtrubshaw11]

How expected

I'd say good luck, but let's be real, it's going to get a lot worse.

One of the side effects of measles is to cause immunity "amnesia", I'm not sure how often it occurs, but this means that older people who may suffer this side effect will now be open to a bunch of diseases to which they were once immune. So on the back of frequent measles outbreaks you can expect to see other disease outbreaks too.

 

[rtrubshaw11]

Next up: Bubonic Plague………this science hating , higher education hating regime really sucks!

Naah! For a really effective way to kill as many as possible you be pneumonic plague! Do I really need the "/s"?

 

[pnellesen]

Naah! For a really effective way to kill as many as possible you be pneumonic plague! Do I really need the "/s"?

In the year 2026, yes, you absolutely do need the /s.

 

[PNWguy]

This is clearly the best way to own the libs.

Usually when you own the libs, you need to make some kind of sacrifice, throw something you care about on the burn pile, spend more money on electricity, have dirtier air, etc.

But this is brilliant; it offloads all the pain and suffering to somebody else. Brilliant! And I bet there's still a way to blame the usual trio of Obama, Biden and COVID-19.

 

[jdale]

Not with measles; the virus is very stable and has never mutated enough for the vaccine to be ineffective. (That's also why immunity after either proper vaccination or natural infection is lifelong, absent the later development of immunosuppression.) And measles is endemic in MOST of the world (including a few parts of Europe), so you'd have to quarantine almost everyone entering your country (not just Americans).

Now it WOULD make sense for nations to start requiring that international travelers show proof of immunity (via vaccine or a positive antibody titer) for many vaccine-preventable diseases. That was actually required once, but now that's only done for Yellow Fever. It's time to change that and go back to that old position. International travel is not a right, so there's no issue with any nation saying "If you want to visit our land, you must prove you are immune to the following list of diseases." Don't like that? Tough - stay home!

There would be no point in testing for measles if vaccination rates were high enough in the US, as they once were. In that case, it would just discourage tourism and serve no useful function.

If, however, our aspiration is to become a medically-compromised nation, it might also be useful to destroy that sector of our economy.

 

[colonelpanic]

You know who is vaccinated against this readily preventable disease?

This guy (points to self).

Way back in the 1960s, when the vaccine was far less tested but everyone had a fresh memory of how bad it was.

I hear you. But, do you know if you're still "vaccinated"? I ask because I was born in the 60s and my parents did the right thing and had my brother and me vaccinated with what was available at the time.

Then, during my physical a year or two ago, my (new to me) doctor added a measles check to my blood test panel. It turned out I was no longer immune/covered so I had to get a new dose. The way I understand it, depending on when you got jabbed, you might have gotten the "old" vaccine which didn't last as long as the more modern one(s) do. I believe the cut off is somewhere in the mid-70s? Whenever it was, the "once in a lifetime" might not apply depending on your body, what you received and when you received it. Again, this is understand things. YMMV

 

[Klinn]

Some people are saying that going out and catching measles on purpose is actually a great way to reverse male pattern baldness, turn a beer belly into a six pack, and cure impotence. I can't verify one way or the other, as I'm not a doctor. Do your own research, people.

Quick! Somebody tell Trump! Also cures having tiny hands.

 

[spVolt]

I personally didn't waste any time or skin punctures testing titers - I just went to Walgreens and said "gimme MMR". They are pushing vaccinations every time I get within 30 feet of the pharmacy anyway; there was no question asked or delay. You do you but my daughter and fiancee are planning for a baby so I am just getting "jabbed" (as the antivax nuts in the US like to say) for everything - it is the least I can do.

(the Army boosts for everything every 10 years and/or deployment which is another data point for me)

 

[CDV]

Edit: Screenshot from an article on greenevilleonline.com dated 01.09.2026. I keep getting an error message when I attempt to post the link.

 

[zdanee]

Saggy Kennedy, Jr. says: "You'll see! With a reduction in childhood vaccinations, autism rates are going to plummet--never mind that the government has cut support for healthcare and calls on states to stop gathering healthcare statistics, which will dramatically reduce the frequency of diagnosis of autism."

I mean yeah, by the numbers more kids die less of them turns out to be autistic. Kill all kids, no autistic kids at all. Also you don't need to spend on education and other kid-stuff. If these old pedophiles wouldn't love to fuck kids so much they'd just do that.

/s (?)

 

[pnellesen]

And I bet there's still a way to blame the usual trio of Obama, Biden and COVID-19.

Don't forget China and Dr. Fauci (may he live to see Trump... not.)

 

[Wernher von Grün]

I think it's time for other countries (EU, are you listening?) to introduce mandatory proof of vaccination before letting US citizens enter.

 

[Wernher von Grün]

Having worked in that part of SC extensively in the late 1990s, there is a very large religious community which does not believe in medical care—period: "Being ill is a punishment by God, and anything mankind does to thwart God's will is a Cardinal Sin which will end you up in Hell."

That's at least part of the reason there are so many unvaccinated cases in the Greenville-Spartanburg area. Add in the fact the majority of the area is fiercely anti-government, anti-regulation, anti-alcohol, anti-education-for-women (and, anti-literacy in general!), anti-science (Satan's religion), anti-immigrant, anti-commonsense, and anti-just-about-everything-else, what can you expect?

They don't call that part of SC "The Buckle of The Bible Belt" for nothing,

Looks like they are 'mendeling' themselves out of the gene pool.

 

[Wernher von Grün]

Having worked in that part of SC extensively in the late 1990s, there is a very large religious community which does not believe in medical care—period: "Being ill is a punishment by God, and anything mankind does to thwart God's will is a Cardinal Sin which will end you up in Hell."

That's at least part of the reason there are so many unvaccinated cases in the Greenville-Spartanburg area. Add in the fact the majority of the area is fiercely anti-government, anti-regulation, anti-alcohol, anti-education-for-women (and, anti-literacy in general!), anti-science (Satan's religion), anti-immigrant, anti-commonsense, and anti-just-about-everything-else, what can you expect?

They don't call that part of SC "The Buckle of The Bible Belt" for nothing,

Richard Dawkins is spot on, as always.

 

[Socially Inept]

A thought I just had about people who use AI to think for them: they're certainly adhering to the "I shall not be influenced by experts" mindset.

 

[Mindstatic]

As of January 2026, South Carolina's ongoing measles outbreak is strongly correlated with unvaccinated immigrant populations, particularly within the Ukrainian immigrant community in Spartanburg County, where vaccination rates are notably low. The outbreak, which began in late 2025 and has now surpassed 300 cases, is largely driven by low MMR vaccination coverage in the region, with nearly all cases occurring among unvaccinated individuals, primarily children. Public health officials believe the outbreak originated in this community, where antivax sentiments are deeply rooted due to historical issues with vaccine safety and government handling in Ukraine during the early 2010s.

• The outbreak is centered in Spartanburg County, an area with a significant Eastern European immigrant population, including Ukrainians, where vaccination rates have declined from 95% to 90% over the past five school years.
• The South Carolina Department of Public Health has identified the Ukrainian immigrant community as the likely source of the initial outbreak, with transmission spreading rapidly into broader unvaccinated populations through schools, churches, and community gatherings.
• Despite public health efforts, including pop-up clinics and quarantine mandates, many families remain unvaccinated, even after experiencing multiple rounds of quarantine or witnessing severe measles cases in their children.
• The outbreak has also led to cases in neighboring North Carolina, with no identified exposure source for one case, suggesting undetected community spread.
• The situation is exacerbated by holiday travel and gatherings, which increased exposure opportunities in an already vulnerable, under-vaccinated population.

Please seek truth. Very few issues are as simple as left vs. right.

Yes, please seek truth - because that area has been anti-vax/ant-gov for decades longer than the Ukraine war.

 

[bunman]

I like how the photo they used for this article shows a kid with an inbred hillbilly looking overbite, great choice

 

[scpATL4now]

What a time to be alive die of preventable diseases

...or get shot by ICE, poisoned by pesticides courtesy of Big AG, or just have your insurance company deny you coverage for, like, anything (if you can afford to have insurance). Yeah, what a time to be alive/s

 

[Arstotzka]

I mean, "right to bare arms (for a jab)" is right there...

I’m stealing this because I’m annoyed I didn’t think of it first. It was right there too…

 

[Mindstatic]

I’m stealing this because I’m annoyed I didn’t think of it first. It was right there too…

But... You said a beer....

 

[Komarov]

Please seek truth. Very few issues are as simple as left vs. right.

Yes. Most of them are about idiots vs. everyone else.

Funnily enough, most idiots tend towards the political right wing.

 

[Komarov]

I think it's time for other countries (EU, are you listening?) to introduce mandatory proof of vaccination before letting US citizens enter.

It's already the works and if the US loses its measles status, will likely happen very quickly.

Although, more likely first in Brasil or India or certainly China than in Europe, which still isn't quite cured of the idea that the US is an "ally".

 

[Maxx Floss]

when is the Lord gonna intervene?

If the good lord intervenes, it will go like this:

"hey you hicks, should taken the vaccine I provided for you.

 

[Hauswolf]

It didn’t take long for people to forget about blindness, deafness, and possible dementia down the road.

That might 'splain a few things

 

[Frank C.]

Build a wall. Full quarantine. It’s the only way to be sure.

 

[DarwinPhish]

You know who is vaccinated against this readily preventable disease?

Yeah, RFK, Jr. and all his kids.

 

[furyleika]

Protip: Get your measles titer checked or get a booster. Those vaccines from the 60's worked, but not all of them conferred life-long immunity. The shot I got didn't.

I want to second this! I got mine in the 80s and my titers were low. Just got a repeat vaccine a few weeks ago to fix that.

 

[pnellesen]

Funnily enough, most idiots tend towards the political right wing.

They know they won’t be fact checked there.

 

[ZAP!!]

The slow genocide phase of Project 2025 is going as planned. Those that can't afford to live, die. All this just so they will no longer be required to help those in need. The Pseudo-christian Nationalist doomsday cults have been gaslighted into becoming the volunteer defenders of the wealthy.

 

[Faceless Man]

when is the Lord gonna intervene?

If the good lord intervenes, it will go like this:

"hey you hicks, should taken the vaccine I provided for you.

"I sent a boat and a helicopter..."

 

[L0neW0lf]

You know who is vaccinated against this readily preventable disease?

This guy (points to self).

Way back in the 1960s, when the vaccine was far less tested but everyone had a fresh memory of how bad it was.

I was in the seventies, but I'm concerned enough that I got a booster in the past twelve months. I don't trust anyone any more.

If so many people are making stupid statements about "the jab" or vaccines today, for those who are truly outspoken, a part of me thinks if they're so anti-vaccine, then the solution is to give them a jab of all of the things they won't get a vaccine for in one stew-like cocktail. Polio, measles, mumps, rubella, typhus, smallpox, chickenpox, diphtheria, pertussis. If vaccines don't prevent of help things, then a witches brew like this shouldn't hurt them either, by their reasoning, right? /s

 

[Firic]

If only America's Founding Fathers had weighed in on vaccines...

Oh wait... it appears that Washington mandated inoculation for smallpox in 1777. Must have secretly been a communist I guess?

 

[Bernardo Verda]

I was in the seventies, but I'm concerned enough that I got a booster in the past twelve months. I don't trust anyone any more.

If so many people are making stupid statements about "the jab" or vaccines today, for those who are truly outspoken, a part of me thinks if they're so anti-vaccine, then the solution is to give them a jab of all of the things they won't get a vaccine for in one stew-like cocktail. Polio, measles, mumps, rubella, typhus, smallpox, chickenpox, diphtheria, pertussis. If vaccines don't prevent of help things, then a witches brew like this shouldn't hurt them either, by their reasoning, right? /s

Sort of... After all, vaccination or inoculation might be defined as simply a very controlled exposure to the pathogen concerned.

 

[Magius]

Which also almost guarantees that cases are being under reported, as that is exactly the type of community that won't be keen to reach out to medical professionals for assistance.

And the type to say: "god took them from us far too early, but there was nothing we could do about it" and not wince knowing it is untrue. Truly makes me hope a god really exists so they get yelled at and kicked out once their turn comes.