Measles outbreak in SC threatens to move beyond Upstate, state official warns. Here’s latest update

Dr. Linda Bell, the South Carolina epidemiologist, said residents outside the two Upstate counties where children have contracted measles should not be lulled into a false sense of security.

The disease is highly contagious and there are cases where the source has not been identified, she said during a media briefing Wednesday.

So far, 16 cases have been confirmed. Most of them were in schools in Spartanburg County, but a child was diagnosed after going to a gym in Greenville.

She said all the cases were seen in children who were not vaccinated. Also, a few of the cases are not related to the schools or the gym, she added.

“Unrecognized transmission,” she said. “Unexpected and unpredicted.”

Three or more cases of an infectious disease is considered an outbreak.

The virus is transmitted through contact with an infected person, touching something they have touched and through the air, which can remain contaminated for up to 2 hours after someone with measles has left the area, Bell said.

South Carolina’s vaccination rate has fallen to 90%, Bell said, adding that 95% is optimal to ensure herd immunity. Such immunity is especially important because some people cannot be vaccinated, including those who are allergic or pregnant women.

She said 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to the virus will develop the disease, which is characterized initially by high fever, cough and runny nose before a red rash on the face occurs, usually within four days. The rash then spreads to the rest of the body.

The Spartanburg County schools are Global Academy of South Carolina, a public charter school and Fairforest Elementary, in Spartanburg School District 6.

Students who have been exposed have been excluded from school, Bell said.

Bell said one MMR dose offers 93% lifelong immunity and two doses 97%.

DPH has updated its measles outbreak page to show the new cases as well as the 45-day report from schools on vaccination rates.

For nationwide data see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page.webpage, which is updated weekly.

This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 2:03 PM.