00:00At Parkside Pediatrics in Spartanburg, South Carolina, some families are now seen outside in the clinic's parking lot.
00:08Doctors and nurses peer inside cars and minivans, scanning young faces for signs of one of the world's most contagious
00:16diseases, measles.
00:18They don't come in the building. They go and we see them in the car.
00:21We go out and we put all our pee-pee on and we have some designated spots and we do
00:27our exam there and everything outside.
00:30Staff like Nathan Heffington are desperately trying to keep the disease out of their waiting rooms,
00:35already packed with infants and small children who are too young to be vaccinated.
00:40The South Carolina outbreak has hit more than 930 reported cases and some medical providers fear the actual numbers are
00:48far higher.
00:50Federal health data show it's the largest U.S. measles outbreak in more than 30 years and Spartanburg County is
00:57the epicenter.
00:58Doctors fear that outbreaks like this one are becoming the new normal.
01:03Why? Because American opposition to vaccines is deepening and a desire for medical freedom is growing.
01:11Resistance to routine shots is fueled by a few things.
01:14Backlash to the COVID-19 response, misinformation on social media,
01:19and more recently, the anti-vaccine policies of the country's health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
01:26First of all, anybody who wants to take a vaccine, I'm not going to get in their way.
01:30But I am going to tell the truth to Americans.
01:33You know, asking questions, that is healthy. That is good.
01:35But when things get politicized, it just, people get dug in and you just don't listen to reason from either
01:45side.
01:45And so I think that's what happened with COVID.
01:47And it's just created these camps that then become immovable because the person I voted for says this or the
01:54person I voted for says this.
01:55Here in Spartanburg County, only 89 percent of students are up to date on their shots.
02:01Public health experts say you need 95 percent of the population vaccinated to stop the virus spreading.
02:09In some local schools, vaccination rates have dropped below 20 percent, according to state data.
02:16This matters because measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world.
02:20Let's take a look at how it spreads.
02:23This person here is infected with a disease.
02:26In a population with no immunity, they can infect 12 to 18 others.
02:31Those 12 to 18 people can then infect another 12 to 18 people each.
02:38That's much more contagious than diseases like chickenpox or COVID-19.
02:46Dr. Lee Bragg is a pediatrician near Spartanburg and has watched immunization rates drop since the pandemic.
02:53She says local hospitals, churches, and schools are wary of speaking up about the best-proven way to curb the
02:59outbreak, fearing they will offend their neighbors.
03:04And South Carolina's Republican governor has championed personal choice.
03:08Vaccinations, vaccinations, unfortunately, the past two years have become a very polarizing topic.
03:16It's something that people kind of shy away from.
03:20And they don't want to be, oh, I'm the person that advocates for vaccines all the time.
03:28And these big systems don't want to come across as pro-vaccines, even though they know vaccines save lives.
03:39The measles, mumps, and rubella shot is still recommended at the federal level, but reluctance can run deep.
03:46When Kathleen Black's youngest child was born about a year ago, she wanted to hold off on routine immunizations.
03:54I like to go down those rabbit holes, and, you know, it opens up millions of questions, like, what's in
04:02the vaccines?
04:03Why are we giving all these vaccines?
04:06You know, and when she was born, I was thinking about, like, maybe not vaccinating her.
04:11I've vaccinated my other two, but maybe I won't do her.
04:14The mother of three says she heard from friends and social media that childhood vaccines may cause autism or developmental
04:22delays.
04:23These claims are not supported by medical research.
04:26It's a very controversial thing.
04:27And you know I've asked you a lot of questions.
04:29Yeah, we've talked a lot about it.
04:30A lot.
04:30She did eventually vaccinate her child, but Huffington says many parents have lost respect for and fear of this disease.
04:38Before vaccines became widespread, back in the 1960s, measles infected millions of American children each year, killing hundreds.
04:47You know, one of the things I always say is, talk to somebody who's over 70.
04:53Talk to a grandparent, great-grandparent, and ask them what they think about vaccines.
04:59You know, they were lining up to get shots.
05:02In previous outbreaks, the federal government would lead the vaccination charge and coordinate interstate efforts to slow the spread of
05:09disease.
05:10Last month, the Trump administration said it sent South Carolina $1.4 million to support its measles response.
05:18And state officials said the government has helped with testing, medical advice, and free vaccines.
05:24But Health Secretary Kennedy, who has promoted unproven theories about the dangers of vaccines for years, hasn't made any major
05:32statements on the South Carolina measles outbreak.
05:35And two former employees at the state's public health department told Reuters the outbreak here struck following reductions in federal
05:43funding and overall staffing in recent years.
05:46At the federal level, the U.S. Health Department didn't respond to a request for comment.
05:52As political leaders shy away from a strong endorsement of vaccines, it is left to medical providers like Heffington to
06:00persuade reluctant parents of their value.
06:03These people that are coming in and choosing not to vaccinate, they're trying to do the best thing for what
06:08they think is the best for their child.
06:10And I think trying to help everybody understand, we're all on the same team here.
06:15I want what's best for your child.
06:16I'm not running secret government experiments.
06:17There's nothing secret about any of this.
06:20There's a lot of evidence showing this is the best thing for your child.
06:23Yeah, OK, and that's why she's calling.
06:25Good job.
06:25One more.
06:25One more.
06:25One more.
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