SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. — A Republican state Senator in South Carolina is advocating for remote learning options for unvaccinated students in response to a growing measles outbreak in the state.
South Carolina has reported more than 700 cases of measles, raising public health concerns as the outbreak expands beyond state lines.
The outbreak, which has now affected both South Carolina and North Carolina, has led state Sen. Josh Kimbrell to say Spartanburg County is at an inflection point where public health is at risk.
Spartanburg County has seen a significant rise in measles cases, which now surpasses 700 statewide. It mirrors the severity of a previous outbreak in Texas, which had two fatalities among children last year despite being a much larger state.
In a letter to the Spartanburg County School District, Kimbrell emphasized the necessity of exploring options for e-learning and potentially restricting extracurricular activities to gain control of the outbreak.
“We’re going to have to explore some options of E learning and maybe restricting some extracurriculars until we can get this under control,” Kimbrell said. “My opinion is I don’t want to attend a funeral of a kindergartener or a kindergarten teacher.”
Community reactions have been mixed, with many parents expressing concern. However, several people Channel 9 spoke to didn’t want to voice their opinions publicly.
(VIDEO: Union County issues 170+ quarantine orders due to measles outbreak)
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