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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 2

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 | Newsworthy 1

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 | Newsworthy 1

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 | Newsworthy 1

#8 Left Hind Turds says that measles kills about a few hundred people a year.

Because the boy on the left is exactly the same as the boy on the right, so what difference does it make?

Plus, it seems no big deal to Left Hind Turds that some children will die, or suffer life-long, adverse consequences.

'Tis in the exact same category as Charlie Kirk saying the death of many, many Americans due to gun violence is AOK because freedum, or something like that.

#15 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-12 10:27 PM | Reply

#13 Thank you, Chuffy.

#16 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-12 10:30 PM | Reply

#14 Another spot-on observation, Snoofy.

Thank you.

#17 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-12 10:31 PM | Reply

@#13 ... everyone who thinks FDT is good for America are as stupid as they come ...

Had to look FDT up.

Based upon what the search engines returned, methinks you may want to use a different slang acronym.

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

FDT was new to me, so I went to the search engines.

The search engines returned a result without "ing" after the word ascribed to the first letter.

So that then made that first letter to be a verb.

Which is not how I thought your comment read.

To be more explicit, and trying to stay within the constraints of this site...

What I found...

FDT = F--- Donald Trump

What your comment seems to use ...

FDT = F---ing Donald Trump.

What I think your comment means to say.

See, two very different meanings.


#18 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-12 10:47 PM | Reply

-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.

It's completely foolish and irresponsible to make the choice to not be vaccinated for diseases like measles.

but what's the worst case scenario?

#19 | Posted by eberly at 2026-01-12 10:58 PM | Reply

@#19 ... but what's the worst case scenario? ...

Within what constraints?

90% vaccinated?

- or - maybe

80% vaccinated?

- or - maybe

70% vaccinated?

- or -

even fewer vaccinated ...

What are the constraints of the worst case scenario asked?


#20 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-12 11:07 PM | Reply

History of Measles
www.cdc.gov

... In 1912, measles became a nationally notifiable disease in the United States, requiring U.S. healthcare providers and laboratories to report all diagnosed cases. In the first decade of reporting, an average of 6,000 measles-related deaths were reported each year.

A vaccine became available in 1963. In the decade before, nearly all children got measles by the time they were 15 years old. It is estimated 3 to 4 million people in the United States were infected each year. Among reported measles cases each year, an estimated:

- - - 400 to 500 people died

- - - 48,000 were hospitalized

- - - 1,000 suffered encephalitis (swelling of the brain)

...

Measles elimination in the United States

In 1978, CDC set a goal to eliminate measles from the United States by 1982. Although this goal was not met, widespread use of measles vaccine drastically reduced the disease rates. By 1981, the number of reported measles cases was 80% less compared with the previous year. ...

Historic achievement

Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000. This meant the absence of the continuous spread of disease was greater than 12 months. This was thanks to a highly effective vaccination program in the United States, as well as better measles control in the Americas region. ...


#21 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-12 11:13 PM | Reply

-90% vaccinated?

isn't that were are now?

so give the worst case scenario from there?

#22 | Posted by eberly at 2026-01-12 11:16 PM | Reply

It's not uniformly 90%, obviously.

People that are anti-vaxx sometimes form communities that are anti-vaxx.

Measles is incredibly contagious I think you need a minimum 90% for herd immunity. Maybe more.

#23 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-12 11:20 PM | Reply

I guess Lamp figured out he can't just talk to hear himself talk without me interrupting him.......so he moved on.

#24 | Posted by eberly at 2026-01-12 11:33 PM | Reply

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