What to know about measles and the outbreak in South Carolina
South Carolina is facing a measles outbreak, raising concerns for residents and public health officials alike. Here’s what you need to know about measles, how it spreads, what state authorities are doing and how you can protect yourself and your family.
What is measles?
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus that infects the respiratory tract and spreads throughout the body. It’s primarily transmitted through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, with the virus remaining active in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health.
Symptoms from the virus begin with a runny nose, red eyes and a fever. Following that, a red rash appears, usually on the face, and then spreads to the rest of the body, according to the state health department. A persistent dry cough also results from the virus.
The airborne illness can be complicated by infections to the respiratory and nervous system and, in some cases, could lead to hospitalization, long-term effects and death, according to the department.
Why the outbreak in South Carolina?
A measles outbreak in the Upstate was first reported by the state health department on Oct. 2, 2025. On the previous day, the department had confirmed a total of eight measles cases primarily in Spartanburg County.
A measles outbreak is defined as three or more cases that are directly linked, according to the department. Those infected included people who were unvaccinated and did not have immunity from a previous measles infection, the department said in an Oct. 2, 2025 news release.
Prior to that, in July 2025, the department identified two confirmed cases of measles. The first reported case resulted from exposure while traveling, while the second case was a known close contact of the first case, according to the department.
The department later confirmed another case of measles in September 2025 that was also linked with exposure while traveling. That case, however, was unrelated to the July cases, the department said in a news release.
The October 2025 outbreak in the Upstate included two cases that did not involve exposure from travel, leaving the source of the infection unknown, according to the department.
As of Tuesday, Feb. 10, 933 cases in South Carolina have been reported, with one case spreading to Lancaster County, the department said in a news release.
There are currently 235 people in quarantine and six in isolation, the Tuesday release said. The latest end of quarantine for those quarantined is March 5.
The outbreak has resulted in serious impacts to schools and daycare centers, with hundreds of students infected since last year.
The cause of the outbreak is unknown, but Dr. Linda Bell — state epidemiologist and DPH’s incident commander for the measles outbreak — attributed the outbreak to a lack of vaccinations as a contributing factor.
“The initial source of South Carolina’s outbreak has not been identified, but given there was no ongoing measles transmission in South Carolina, we know the case was imported from an unknown source,” Bell told The State in an email.
“The earliest cases involved in the outbreak were unvaccinated individuals, and the primary challenge to our response is the initial low vaccination coverage and vaccine hesitancy in a pocket of our population. A much more significant increase in vaccination is needed to achieve the 95% coverage for adequate herd immunity to prevent community spread.”
Is measles dangerous?
While not for all, a measles exposure could present significant dangers to some people, including children under the age of 5, pregnant women, individuals with a weakened immune system and unvaccinated adults over 20, according to the state health department.
Most people recover from measles completely on their own, according to the department. For less serious cases, bed rest, drinking plenty of fluids and over-the-counter medications to curb the fever and headache may provide comfort to infected individuals.
Among vulnerable people, however, an exposure to measles could lead to hospitalization amid lung and brain damage. In fact, about 1 out of 5 people who get measles will be hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Moreover, one out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling due to infection, which may lead to brain damage. And one to three out of 1,000 people with measles will die, even with the best care, according to the CDC.
For those who require hospitalization, supportive care is the only treatment, according to the health department.
How to protect you and your family
State and national health officials encourage families to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR and MMRV) vaccine, which is over 97% effective after two doses.
Those with one dose of the vaccination can expect a 93% chance of protection from the virus, according to the health department.
The vaccine is recommended for all infants at 12 months of age, while a second dose is recommended between 4 and 6 years of age, according to the department.
Among the number of cases reported in South Carolina to date, 245 stemmed from those under age 5; 594 between the age of 5 and 17; 80 over the age of 18; and 14 unknown, according to the department.
Regarding vaccinations of infected persons, 859 of the 933 cases were unvaccinated. Twenty were partially vaccinated, 25 were fully vaccinated, and the vaccination status of 29 others remains unknown.
What is SCDPH doing to curb the measles outbreak?
Since the first reported measles outbreak in October 2025, the health department has begun investigating the source of the virus among South Carolinians.
To curb the spread of the virus, the department said its focus surrounds educating the public about the virus, identifying potential close contacts and providing vaccines to those who remain unvaccinated. Those unvaccinated and have had close contacts with infected individuals are encouraged to remain at home and away from others for 21 days, according to the department.
The department emphasizes that those infected, even before showing symptoms, are contagious.
To escalate its efforts, the department has recently deployed mobile health units to offer the measles vaccination to the public at no cost on:
- Tuesday, March 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grace Community Church, 570 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg.
