Feb 25 (Reuters) – South Carolina has reported lower cases of measles two weeks in a row, offering an encouraging sign that the outbreak may be easing, a state health official said in a briefing on Wednesday.
“The hard work and long hours that frontline, often entry-level epidemiologists, have put into this response are largely responsible for this downward trend that is actually occurring a bit earlier than previously projected,” said Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina’s epidemiologist, adding that the outbreak “is not by any means over.”
The state has sought the help of infectious disease experts from the nonprofit CDC Foundation to contain the outbreak that has quickly become the nation’s largest since 1992, with 979 cases reported as of Tuesday.
The outbreak, which began in October, has been centered in the northwest part of the state, which includes Greenville and Spartanburg.
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
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