Health Care Newsletter CDC staffers deployed to South Carolina to aid measles response by Joseph Choi - 03/04/26 8:39 PM ET by Joseph Choi - 03/04/26 8:39 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email 96 Presented by the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story   CDC staffers deployed to South Carolina to aid measles response  With nearly 1,000 confirmed measles cases as of this week, staffers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are going to South Carolina to help the state in its outbreak response .  © Julio Cortez, The Associated Press South Carolina’s State Epidemiologist Linda Bell said in a press briefing on Wednesday that 990 cases have been confirmed in the state so far, with 95 percent of them occurring in unvaccinated individuals and the vast majority found in Spartanburg County .    “We have approval for a team of CDC staffers to come and assist us in analyzing data that’s been collected during the outbreak,” Bell said, adding that they are expecting three service officers to arrive next week.     She noted that  vaccine uptake rose  last month but added there are concerns of another surge in cases during spring break as was seen during the winter holiday season.    “We saw another strong increase in measles vaccination uptake during the month of February, which is encouraging. Compared to February of 2025, there was a 133 percent increase in measles vaccination in Spartanburg County with around 900 additional doses given,” said Bell.    The CDC staffers are expected to be in the state for roughly two weeks .    Last month, it was reported that South Carolina had requested assistance from the CDC Foundation, an independent entity separate from the CDC created by Congress to support the agency.    Bell clarified on Wednesday that the support provided by the CDC is different from what was requested from the foundation. According to Bell, the support from the foundation focused on long-term day-to-day work while the assistance coming from the CDC staffers will focus on  analyzing data  compiled from the previous 22 weeks of the outbreak.    According to the CDC, there have been 1,136 confirmed measles cases and 10 new outbreaks in 2026 so far, following what was the worst year for measles in the U.S. in decades.   Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter , I’m Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:   RFK Jr. puts Dunkin’ on notice; Massachusetts governor says ‘come and take it’ Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said Dunkin’ and other companies will need to prove that their ingredients are safe, prompting Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) on Wednesday to reply back, “Come and take it.” Kennedy, while at a rally at Brazos Hall last week in Austin, Texas, said, “We’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the …  Full Story   FDA sends warning to 30 telehealth companies selling ‘illegal’ GLP-1s The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday sent 30 telehealth companies warning letters about their “illegal” sales of compounded GLP-1s, building off increasing pressure to tamp down on the sale of these unapproved medications. According to the FDA, the companies they contacted made “false or misleading claims” about the GLP-1 products they sold on their websites, including implying “sameness …  Full Story   Colorectal cancer demographics shift toward younger Americans: Research The rate of colorectal cancer is increasing among younger Americans and is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in adults under the age of 50, according to research published by the American Cancer Society on Monday. Researchers found that 45 percent of new colorectal cancer diagnoses are occurring in individuals younger than 65, a 27 percent increase from 1995. Meanwhile, rates among older adults have declined over the past …  Full Story   In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Noem’s spending review has held up more than 1,000 FEMA contracts, grants and awards, Dems say Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s policy of personally reviewing expenditures of more than $100,000 has held up more than 1,000 contracts, grants and awards at the Federal Emergency Manage