Measles cases in South Carolina rise by 6 to 979

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Measles cases in South Carolina surged to 979 on Tuesday, state health data showed, including six additional infections since Friday.

Here are some details:

Officials have warned that the widening outbreak could last weeks or months amid lagging vaccine uptake.

At least 91 people are in quarantine after being exposed to the virus, and one person in isolation to keep them from spreading the disease

Of those infected, 913 were unvaccinated, 19 were partially vaccinated with one of the recommended two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccines, 26 were fully vaccinated and 21 had unknown vaccination status

The outbreak, which began in October, has been centered in the northwest part of the state, which includes Greenville and Spartanburg, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health

South Carolina has sought help of a dozen infectious‑disease specialists from the CDC Foundation to help manage the nation’s largest measles outbreak in over 30 years amid declining local vaccination rates, Reuters reported on Tuesday

Most cases were reported in children in the 5-to-17 age group followed by those below five years of age

As of February 19, 982 confirmed measles cases were reported in the U.S. in 2026, according to CDC's latest data