Parents in South Carolina have been left anxious and divided after 153 unvaccinated children were ordered to quarantine following exposure to measles, a disease once declared eliminated in the United States. The move by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has reignited debate over vaccination policies and whether schools are truly equipped to prevent outbreaks of preventable illnesses.
According to ABC News, the quarantine orders were issued at Global Academy of South Carolina and Fairforest Elementary School in Spartanburg County after students were exposed to measles earlier this month. DHEC confirmed that the affected pupils 'either have not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine or cannot show proof of immunity'. The 21-day quarantine reflects the standard incubation period for the virus, which can remain airborne for up to two hours after an infected person has left a room.
