SC department of health reports more cases of measles. Some stemming from school
More than a dozen new cases of measles in the Upstate have been reported to the South Carolina Department of Public Health since the day after Thanksgiving.
Fourteen new cases have been reported to the department, bringing the total number of cases the state has seen this year up to 79, with 76 from the Upstate, according to a news release. One hundred and thirty-four South Carolinians are now under quarantine and one in isolation.
Eight of the new cases stemmed from a previously reported exposure at the Way of Truth Church in Inman, while three others resulted from a school setting. The source of three others is still under investigation, a release said.
Based on the new cases, the department has identified exposures at four schools that include Hendrix Elementary, Marby Middle School, Chapman High School and Tyger River Elementary School, according to the release.
Forty students at Hendrix are in quarantine, 13 at Marby, five at Chapman and 17 at Tyger River, officials say. The department began notifying potentially exposed students, faculty and staff on Monday.
“Notifying a health care provider of a potential exposure before seeking care is very important,” according to the release. “This allows prior arrangements to be made in clinical settings to prevent additional exposures of staff and other visitors as some clinical sites have also been settings of public exposures. Symptoms of measles typically begin 7-12 days (but up to 21 days) after exposure, and start with a cough, runny nose, and red watery eyes, along with a mild to moderate fever.”
Students who’ve been successfully quarantined, without any signs of illness, are cleared to return to class between Dec. 11 and Dec. 15, depending on the school, the release said.
