Jan 23 (Reuters) – South Carolina reported a surge to 700 measles cases on Friday, state health data showed, including 54 additional infections since Tuesday, as officials warned the widening outbreak could last weeks or months amid lagging vaccine uptake.
Public exposures at Clemson and Anderson universities reported last week had raised concerns of a wider spread.
The outbreak, which began in October, has been centered in the northwest part of the state, including Greenville and Spartanburg, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health.
There are currently 485 people in quarantine and 10 in isolation, with the latest quarantine period ending on February 14, the state health department said.
Among those infected, 614 were unvaccinated, 13 received one of the recommended two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccines, 18 were fully vaccinated and 55 had unknown vaccination status.
Vaccine uptake has slowed recently as families cite concerns including doubts about the measles shot’s effectiveness, broader hesitancy toward immunization and misinformation about potential side effects, according to state health officials.
Most cases were reported in children in the five-to-17 age group, followed by those below five years of age.
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that causes symptoms such as fever, cough and a characteristic rash.
Texas reported a surge in measles cases in 2025, with the U.S. recording its largest outbreak since the disease was declared eliminated in the country in 2000.
The outbreak in West Texas began in late January last year and was declared over in August.
There were 762 confirmed cases reported, along with 99 hospitalizations and two fatalities in school‑aged children as of August 18, according to the Texas State Health Department.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny and Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri, Vijay Kishore and Shreya Biswas)
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