At least 88 new measles cases confirmed in South Carolina, bringing total to 646: Health officials
Spartanburg County, in the north, is the epicenter of the outbreak.
At least 88 new measles cases in South Carolina have been confirmed amid the state's outbreak, bringing the total number of infections to 646, state health officials said Tuesday.
The majority of cases have been found in the Upstate region and around Spartanburg County, which sits on the border with North Carolina.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health said there are currently 538 people in quarantine and 33 in isolation. The latest end of quarantine will be on Feb. 23.
There are at least 15 schools -- including elementary, middle and high schools -- which currently have students in quarantine.
Health officials also warned of exposures at Clemson University and Anderson University, both located in northwestern South Carolina, which have a combined 88 students in quarantine.
Additionally, health officials warned that some individuals visited at least one of two northwestern locations while infectious, including a Publix in Duncan on Friday, Jan. 16, and a Food Lion in Inman on Sunday, Jan. 11, and Monday, Jan. 12.
The health department said those who were exposed at Publix in Duncan, especially those without immunity through vaccination or previous disease, should monitor for symptoms through Feb. 6. while those exposed at Food Lion in Inman should monitor for symptoms through Feb. 1 or Feb. 2.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.
CDC data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2024-2025 school year, 92.5% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 92.7% seen in the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019-2020 school year, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, counties across the United States may have vaccination rates higher or lower than the national average. A recent map from ABC News -- a collaboration with researchers from Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard School of Medicine and Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai that allows people to type in their ZIP code and see the measles risk in their area -- found a wide range of risks in areas across the U.S.
Some counties and ZIP codes fell into the "lowest risk" with 85% or more of children under 5 years old receiving one or more measles vaccine dose to "very high risk" with fewer than 60% of children under age 5 receiving one or more measles vaccine dose.
Tuesday also marks one year since health officials confirmed that measles cases were cropping up in a small town in western Texas.
It's unclear if the cases in Texas that were confirmed on Jan. 20 are linked to those in other states; if so, it would mean the U.S. has seen a year of continuous transmission.
If it's determined that the U.S. has experienced 12 months of continuous measles transmission, it could lead to a loss of the country's elimination status that was earned in 2000. Measles would once again be considered endemic or constantly circulating.
Last year, the U.S. recorded its highest number of measles cases since 1992 with 2,242 cases reported in 44 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far this year, the U.S. has recorded 171 cases across nine states, CDC data shows.
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