What’s being said about vaccinations as measles outbreak rages in South Carolina
A measles outbreak continues in South Carolina, where more than 900 people have been infected with the virus since July 2025, according to the state Department of Public Health.
As confirmed cases of measles has recently surged, so too has implementation of the measles vaccine in the Palmetto State, said Dr. Linda Bell, state epidemiologist and the Department of Public Health’s incident commander for the measles outbreak.
“January was the best month for measles vaccination we’ve experienced during this outbreak,” Bell said in a Feb. 6 news release.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that there were 933 cases of measles in South Carolina. Contrast that figure to 2024, when there was one confirmed case of measles in South Carolina, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
But as the highly contagious virus has raged in South Carolina, specifically in Spartanburg County where the outbreak is centered with 890 reported cases, so too has the effort to curb the virus. In January 2026, more than 16,800 doses of measles vaccine were administered in the Palmetto State, according to the Department of Public Health.
That’s a massive increase of over 7,000 more doses administered compared to totals from January 2025, Department of Public Health data shows. In Spartanburg County, there was a 162% increase in doses administered in January 2026 as compared to January 2025.
The Department of Public Health’s consistent messaging about the value of vaccination seems to be making an impact.
“It is proven that the best way to prevent measles is by vaccination,” Bell said in September 2025, when there were three confirmed cases of measles in South Carolina. “This virus spreads quickly.”
The CDC’s current website echoes Bell’s statement, saying “the best way to protect against measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. ... (The) vaccine is very safe and is effective at preventing measles.”
Those who endorse the use of vaccines recently got a potentially unexpected vote of support from a well-known health officials in President Donald Trump’s administration.
“Take the vaccine, please,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, perhaps better known to some as Dr. Oz, said Sunday Feb. 8. “We have a solution for our problem.”
In the past, the TV personality and heart surgeon turned administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services defended revisions from the Trump Administration and comments from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about the efficacy of vaccines, the Associated Press reported.
While federal vaccine recommendations have changed for many viruses (including Covid-19, RSV, hepatitis and the flu), the government continues to recommend getting vaccinated to protect from measles, according to the Associated Press.
In April 2025, even Kennedy said on social media that “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.”
Oz’s messaging about the measles vaccine was clear Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Not all illnesses are equally dangerous, and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses,” Oz said. “But measles is one you should get your vaccine.”
Count Dr. Anthony Fauci among those who agree with Oz about the importance of getting vaccinated.
In March 2025, the former chief medical adviser for both presidents Trump and Joe Biden said he was concerned about the decline in vaccination rates across the board, especially for measles, during an interview with New Orleans TV station WVUE.
“Are we willing to accept death from a preventable disease among our children?” Fauci asked at that time.
There were three measles-related deaths in the U.S. in 2025, according to the CDC. None were in South Carolina, as two were recorded in Texas and the other in New Mexico.
Children are by far the group that’s suffered the most cases of measles in South Carolina. Of the 933 confirmed cases, where 859 of the people were unvaccinated, 837 were younger than 18, according to the Department of Public Health.
While South Carolina’s health officials urge everyone to get vaccinated, some of the Palmetto State’s most prominent politicians are against mandatory vaccinations.
In October 2025, when there were 11 confirmed cases of measles in South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster wouldn’t call for people to get vaccinated for the measles, The State previously reported.
At that time, McMaster said he preferred South Carolina resident to make their own informed decisions about vaccination.
“I think that we learned back in the Covid times that if you give people the proper information, full information, let them make their own decisions, and they will make the right one,” McMaster previously said. “It is a dangerous disease, of course, but in terms of diseases, it’s not one that we should panic about, but people ought to know that it’s here.”
As recently as Feb. 2, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson came out forcefully against mandatory vaccinations.
Wilson, who is running to replace the outgoing McMaster as the state’s governor, was specifically discussing Covid vaccinations. Wilson issued a news release that said he had joined a 13-state friend-of-the-court brief to protect the right of South Carolinians to be free from government-mandated Covid vaccines.
“Since 2020, we have seen a concerted push to curtail personal liberty in the name of health and safety,” Wilson said in the release. “Personal liberty and the sacred right to be free from compelled bodily intrusion is at the heart of the American experiment.”
The brief that Wilson added his name to says a competent person has a constitutionally protected interest in refusing unwanted medical treatment, according to the Attorney General’s office.
Vaccines are available at many primary care provider offices and pharmacies, as well as DPH Health Departments.
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