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2h ago

South Carolina Measles Outbreak Jumps to 558 as U.S. Elimination Status Is at Risk

Falling vaccination rates have left pockets of susceptibility that are accelerating transmission.

FILE - Health department staff members enter the Andrews County Health Department measles clinic carrying doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice, File)
The South Carolina Department of Public Health Mobile Health Unit, with two administrators and two nurses help people get different vaccinations, including for measles, in Spartanburg County on October 20, 2025.
FILE - A sign is seen outside a clinic with the South Plains Public Health District, Feb. 23, 2025, in Brownfield, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
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Overview

  • South Carolina confirmed 558 measles cases after 124 new infections since Tuesday, with Spartanburg County remaining the epicenter.
  • There are 531 people in quarantine and 85 in isolation, with current quarantine periods extending through February 16, according to state officials.
  • Of the confirmed cases, 483 people were unvaccinated, six had one MMR dose, 13 were fully vaccinated, and most infections are in children and teenagers.
  • State health officials report eight hospitalizations since the outbreak began and say additional confirmations are expected as exposures are processed.
  • The CDC counts 171 measles cases nationally so far in 2026, and health departments have linked spread from South Carolina to cases in Ohio, North Carolina and Washington, while uptake at free mobile vaccination clinics totaled just 18 shots.