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Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Monday, January 12, 2026

A measles outbreak in South Carolina that began in October continues to rage, with the state health department reporting Friday that nearly 100 new cases have been identified just in the last three days.

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South Carolina has reported 99 new measles cases in the past 3 days. Meanwhile RFK Jr. is "building a case" to argue that the U.S. shouldn't lose its measles elimination status. But we've lost it and hell of a lot more. He only cares about optics. Reality need not apply.

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-- Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD (@elizabethjacobs.bsky.social) Jan 10, 2026 at 12:19 PM

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More from the article ...

...In a regularly scheduled update this afternoon, the health department said 99 cases were identified since Tuesday, bringing the outbreak total to 310 cases. There are currently 200 people in quarantine and nine in isolation.

However, the outbreak is expanding so quickly and with so many exposure sites that health officials are struggling to trace cases and identify people at risk.

"An increasing number of public exposure sites are being identified with likely hundreds more people exposed who are not aware they should be in quarantine if they are not immune to measles," Dr. Linda Bell, state epidemiologist and the health department's incident commander for the measles outbreak, said in the announcement.

"Previous measles transmission studies have shown that one measles case can result in up to 20 new infections among unvaccinated contacts."

The outbreak is centered in the northwestern corner of the state, with cases concentrated in Spartanburg County. According to state data, in the 2024"2025 school year, only 90 percent of students in the county were fully vaccinated.

That's well below the target of 95 percent vaccination coverage that prevents vaccine-preventable infections from spreading.

However, the county-wide vaccination rate likely obscures pockets where vaccination rates are even lower, making the virus more likely to spread. ...



#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-10 07:51 PM | Reply

OpEd: RFK Jr. Joins the Anti-Vaccine Fringe (2014)
time.com

... There are lots of places to go if you want dangerous crazytalk. There are websites, blog threads, cable channels trafficking in all kinds of addled nonsense about birther conspiracies and one-world governments.

And then there was Robert Kennedy, Jr., the tireless, honest climate hero long famous for fighting the very good fight.

But that was then. RFK, Jr. may still know a thing or two about global warming, but he has taken a disreputable plunge into the world of anti-science with his new and inexplicable crusade: warning people about the dangers of vaccines. ...


#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-10 08:23 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

Good. ---- you MAGA

#3 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-01-10 08:53 PM | Reply

@#3

I have a different opinion.

I do not like to see Americans suffer.

And I want to help Americans understand how to prevent their suffering, regardless of their political opinion.

America's diversity (politically and otherwise) is what makes us strong.



#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-10 11:20 PM | Reply

MAGA likes measles, and every other communicable disease as far as I can tell.

It's rooted in their culture, like female circumcision.

#5 | Posted by Zed at 2026-01-11 08:49 AM | Reply

Maybe this Republican Senator from South Carolina could do the world a favor and catch it. Her, too for that matter: i.ytimg.com

#6 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-01-11 08:58 AM | Reply

@#5 ... MAGA likes measles, and every other communicable disease as far as I can tell. ...

I wish I could disagree.

But I cannot.

So then, the question becomes, why does MAGA seem to want Americans to be sick and possibly die?


#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-12 07:53 PM | Reply

Measles kills about a few hundred people a year. You know what's funny? Obesity kills nearly 300,000 of you purple-haired pronoun- nose ring wearing ----- every year... Keep fighting, we're making headway.

#8 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2026-01-12 08:55 PM | Reply

Obesity isn't contagious.
Your level of stupidity is, though.

#9 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-12 08:56 PM | Reply

"Measles kills about a few hundred people a year. "

Is there a number where you start caring how many people it kills?
COVID killed about 1.2M Americans and you say that's not a big enough number to require masks to prevent the spread.

#10 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-12 08:58 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Is there a number where you start caring how many people it kills?
COVID killed about 1.2M Americans and you say that's not a big enough number to require masks to prevent the spread.

#10 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-12 08:58 PM | Reply

You're owning the MAGA tonight.

#11 | Posted by Alexandrite at 2026-01-12 09:01 PM | Reply

@#8 ... Measles kills about a few hundred people a year. ...

Currently.

... You know what's funny? Obesity kills nearly 300,000 of you purple-haired pronoun- nose ring wearing ----- every year.. ...

I do not consider the deaths of Americans to be funny in any shape manner or form.

Mapped: U.S. Obesity Rates, by State (August 2024)
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-u-s-obesity-rates-by-state/

Excerpt ...




#12 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-12 10:18 PM | Reply

Measles kills about a few hundred people a year.

Give it 5-10 years to see how profoundly stupid you are ... preventable diseases are the last thing we need to worry about, but thanks to you MAGA morons, we are all in danger of dying from preventable diseases.

Stupid people are dangerous. MAGA and everyone who thinks FDT is good for America are as stupid as they come.

#13 | Posted by chuffy at 2026-01-12 10:20 PM | Reply

I went and got another measles shot a few months back. Sad what Republicans have done to our homeland. They're encouraging disease to spread and blaming it on immigrants, if you hadn't noticed.

#14 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-12 10:22 PM | Reply

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