2026年2月24日 11:05 UTC / 路透社 / 朱莉·斯汀胡伊森和查德·特吕恩报道
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美国南卡罗来纳州斯巴达堡的南卡罗来纳州公共卫生部移动健康单元外的标识牌，摄于2026年2月6日。路透社/杰拉·惠特菲尔德-安德森 [购买授权，新标签页打开]
- 摘要
- 公司
- 十二名医学专家前往南卡罗来纳州加强疫情应对
- 截至周五，该州报告了973例麻疹病例
- 疾病控制与预防中心基金会（CDC Foundation）常在疾病暴发和自然灾害期间提供协助
2月24日（路透社）- 十二名公共卫生专家正前往南卡罗来纳州，以协助该州控制美国30多年来最大规模的麻疹疫情，但他们并非来自美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）。
南卡罗来纳州公共卫生部告诉路透社，该州已向非营利组织CDC基金会请求派遣人员。该基金会是国会设立的独立实体，通过个人、企业和其他组织的慈善捐款和赠款支持CDC。
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南卡罗来纳州流行病学家琳达·贝尔博士表示，该基金会将提供至少12名传染病专家，在该州全职工作数月，”提高我们在病例调查、接触者追踪和数据管理方面的能力”。基金会称，部分工作人员已于上周开始在南卡罗来纳州工作，更多人员计划下周到岗。
三位前CDC官员表示，该基金会通常作为辅助力量协助CDC应对疫情，但通常不会取代CDC员工。在唐纳德·特朗普总统任内，CDC的角色有所削弱，自去年8月起一直没有常设主任。
在南卡罗来纳州，近年来儿童免疫接种率下降，原因是当地政治领袖和家长批评CDC在新冠疫情期间的应对措施，反对与新冠相关的封锁和疫苗强制令。在当前麻疹疫情期间，南卡罗来纳州共和党州长亨利·麦克马斯特支持疫苗接种的个人选择权。
前CDC国家新发和人畜共患病传染病中心主任丹·杰尼根表示，寻求CDC基金会的协助”可能比直接请求CDC帮忙在政治上更容易接受”。
针对去年得克萨斯州爆发的大规模麻疹疫情，CDC一名官员称该机构已部署至少15名人员协助州卫生官员。但CDC基金会表示，得克萨斯州并未请求额外支持。
贝尔告诉路透社，CDC通常会派遣科学家和医疗官员进行为期数周的短期部署。”这种专业水平不一定能满足我们日常工作的支持需求，”她说。
截至周五，南卡罗来纳州的麻疹疫情已迅速成为1992年以来美国最大规模的疫情，报告病例达973例。至少有20名成人和儿童住院治疗。
在以往重大疫情期间，联邦政府一直牵头鼓励广泛接种疫苗，并协调各州努力遏制疾病传播。
有反疫苗活动历史的美国卫生部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪尚未就南卡罗来纳州的麻疹疫情发表重大声明。
美国卫生与公众服务部（HHS）表示，上月已向该州拨付140万美元，用于麻疹疫情应对工作。
HHS在一份声明中称：”CDC继续调查传播模式，并与南卡罗来纳州卫生官员密切合作，包括通过定期协调会议”，并补充道：”接种疫苗仍然是预防麻疹最有效的方法。”
基金会协助紧随资金削减之后
去年，南卡罗来纳州公共卫生部因HHS在全国范围内削减数十亿美元新冠疫情相关拨款，损失了约1亿美元联邦资金。该州表示，其中部分联邦拨款用于支持儿童免疫接种和传染病实验室检测。
贝尔告诉路透社，”CDC危机应对资金”被用于雇佣一些临时工作人员开展病例调查和其他疫情相关活动。她还称赞CDC提供了检测、临床咨询和免费疫苗方面的协助。
当被问及州政府官员是否指示公共卫生部不要请求CDC人员时，贝尔表示，她的机构根据自身人员需求做出决定，而选择CDC基金会最能满足这些需求。
总体而言，约有90名公共卫生部员工将大部分时间用于疫情应对工作。
她表示，在说服居民接种疫苗方面，本地员工更为合适。”CDC无法提供为受影响社区所熟知的人员，”她说。
CDC基金会称，将提供”12名公共卫生专业人员进行短期突击支援”，期限可能长达6至8个月。该基金会表示，将资助流行病学家和数据分析师，以加强疾病监测并加快病例调查。
CDC的上一任常设主任苏珊·莫纳雷斯于去年8月被解雇，原因是她与肯尼迪在疫苗政策上发生多次冲突，并解雇了CDC高级员工。上周，美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）院长杰伊·巴塔查里亚被任命为CDC代理主任。
贝尔在上周的新闻发布会上表示，南卡罗来纳州新报告病例数量放缓令人鼓舞，但她警告称，”我们尚未脱离险境”。
朱莉·斯汀胡伊森在芝加哥报道，查德·特吕恩在洛杉矶报道；编辑：卡罗琳·休默和比尔·伯克罗特
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South Carolina seeks non-CDC reinforcements to contain growing measles outbreak
February 24, 2026 11:05 AM UTC / Reuters / By Julie Steenhuysen and Chad Terhune
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A signage stands outside a South Carolina Department of Public Health Mobile Health Unit in Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S., February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Jayla Whitfield-Anderson [Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab]
- Summary
- Companies
- Twelve medical experts headed to South Carolina to bolster outbreak response
- State reported 973 measles cases as of Friday
- CDC Foundation often assists during disease outbreaks, natural disasters
Feb 24 (Reuters) – A dozen public health experts are arriving in South Carolina to help the state contain the largest U.S. measles outbreak in more than 30 years, but they’re not coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health told Reuters it has requested personnel from the nonprofit CDC Foundation instead. The foundation is an independent entity created by Congress to support the CDC through charitable contributions and grants from individuals, corporations and other organizations.
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Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina’s epidemiologist, said the foundation will provide at least 12 infectious disease experts to work full-time in the state for several months, “increasing our capacity for case investigation, contact tracing and data management.” Some staff began working with South Carolina last week, according to the foundation, and more are scheduled to start next week.
The foundation is typically used as an auxiliary group to bolster the CDC response to an outbreak, but does not usually replace CDC staff, three former agency officials said. Under the administration of President Donald Trump, the CDC has faced a diminished role and has been without a permanent director since August.
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In South Carolina, childhood immunization rates have declined in recent years as local political leaders and parents criticized the CDC’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed back against COVID-related lockdowns and vaccine mandates. Amid the current measles outbreak, South Carolina’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, has championed personal choice on vaccines.
Seeking assistance from the CDC Foundation “may be much more politically palatable than asking CDC to help,” said Dan Jernigan, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.
In response to a large measles outbreak in Texas last year, a CDC official said the agency had deployed at least 15 personnel to assist state health officials. The CDC Foundation said Texas didn’t request additional support.
Bell told Reuters the CDC generally provides scientists and medical officers for brief deployments of a few weeks. “This level of expertise does not necessarily fulfill our needs for support for daily job functions,” she said.
South Carolina’s measles outbreak has quickly become the nation’s largest since 1992 with 973 cases reported as of Friday. At least 20 adults and children have been hospitalized.
During previous major outbreaks, the federal government has led the charge to encourage widespread vaccination and coordinate efforts among states to curb the spread of disease.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of anti-vaccine activism, has not made any major statements regarding the measles outbreak in South Carolina.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it sent $1.4 million last month to South Carolina to aid in its measles response.
HHS in a statement said the “CDC continues to investigate transmission patterns and work closely with South Carolina health officials, including through regular coordination meetings,” adding: “Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent measles.”
FOUNDATION ASSIST FOLLOWS FUNDING CUTS
Last year, South Carolina’s public health department lost about $100 million in federal funding when HHS cut billions of dollars in COVID-era grants nationwide. Some of those federal grants supported childhood immunizations and laboratory testing for infectious diseases in South Carolina, according to the state.
Bell told Reuters that “CDC crisis response funds” were used to hire some temporary staff to conduct case investigations and perform other outbreak-related activities. She also credited the CDC with providing assistance with testing, clinical advice and free vaccines.
When asked whether state officials directed the public health department not to request CDC personnel, Bell said her agency determined its staffing needs and that the CDC Foundation option best serves those needs.
Overall, there are about 90 public health department staff spending a majority of their time on the outbreak response, according to Bell.
She said local staff are better suited when it comes to persuading residents to get vaccinated. “CDC cannot provide staff well known to the impacted community,” she said.
The CDC Foundation said it would provide “12 public health professionals for a short-term surge” that could last up to six to eight months. The foundation said it is funding epidemiologists and data analysts who can help strengthen disease surveillance and accelerate case investigation.
The CDC’s last permanent director, Susan Monarez, was fired in August after a series of clashes with Kennedy over vaccine policy and dismissal of senior CDC staff. Last week, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya was also named acting director of the CDC.
At a press briefing last week, Bell said it was encouraging that the number of new cases being reported in South Carolina had slowed. However, she warned, “we are not out of the woods.”
Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago and Chad Terhune in Los Angeles; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot
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