South Carolina reports three new measles cases, outbreak total rises to 996

March 13 (Reuters) - South Carolina health officials reported three new measles cases on Friday, pushing the total number of infections linked to the outbreak to 996, the state health department said.

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

Here are more details:

• At least 30 people are in quarantine after being exposed to the virus and another four people are in isolation.

• Of those infected, 930 were unvaccinated, 18 were partially vaccinated, 26 were fully vaccinated and 22 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.

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

• New CDC Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya earlier this month urged Americans to get vaccinated against measles, saying it was the best protection against the disease.

• There were 1,362 confirmed measles cases reported in the U.S. in 2026 as of March 12, CDC data showed.