Measles in America: Who Actually Are the Unvaccinated? A Conversation w Health Workers from Spartanburg, SC and West Texas

Measles has returned to the United States in a way we haven’t seen in more than a quarter-century. The outbreak in South Carolina follows one in West Texas last year, threatening the measles-free status the U.S. achieved in 2000.

In today’s polarized climate, the virus has become a political flashpoint. Critics say the rise reflects eroding vaccine trust driven by the MAHA movement and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. Others argue outbreaks like this occur every year, are usually mild, and are just a part of life. 

So we went straight to the front lines. We speak with doctors in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and a public health leader from West Texas who worked inside the communities most affected.

What are they actually seeing on the ground? How much of this surge is about politics and vaccine mistrust—and how much is rooted in religion, culture, or generations-old skepticism? What is the media getting right about the measles resurgence… and what might we be getting wrong?

As one of the most contagious viruses in the world makes a comeback in America, we ask: what comes next?

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guests:

Dr. Robin LaCroix,  a pediatric infectious disease specialist, is the medical director emeritus of Prisma Health Children's Hospital in Greenville, S.C. 

Dr. Stuart Simko, a pediatrician with Prisma Health, practices in Greer, South Carolina, has seen several families with measles cases. 

Dr. Katherine Wells,  is Director of the Lubbock Public Health District, was the lead from Lubbock in responding to the West Texas measles outbreak. 

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