Measles Spreading in Upstate: Vaccines Recommended

Skylar Laird/S.C. Daily Gazette

COLUMBIA — Measles cases are spreading in the Upstate without a clear source, public health officials said Friday.

Over the past week, the Department of Public Health received five reports of new measles cases, bringing the total for the year to eight — the highest number of infections in the state since the disease was considered eradicated in 2000, according to the health department.

All eight people infected were unvaccinated, and none had immunity from previous infections, state epidemiologist Linda Bell told reporters Friday.

“We just want people to recognize how highly transmissible this virus is and that it doesn’t matter what region you live in,” Bell said. “We are seeing unrecognized spread in the state.”

The first three cases, reported in July and September, came from people who had either recently been to other countries with measles outbreaks or been in close contact with travelers who had recently returned home.

Public health officials have yet to identify a source for the most recent five infections, suggesting the disease is spreading through the community, Bell said.

More cases are expected as part of the outbreak, Bell said.

Health officials declined to give the patients’ ages, sexes or the counties where they lived. At least one person attended a school, which poses a higher risk for spreading the disease, since many people spend the day together in a closed space, Bell said.

Parents with children at the school have been told about the case, Bell said.

The health department is working with school administration to find anyone in close contact with the patient, she said.

Vaccination rates both inside and outside of school have declined in recent years, according to health department data. Inside schools, the number of students who received all their vaccines, including one protecting against measles, mumps and rubella, dropped from 98 percent a decade ago to just under 94 percent during the 2024-2025 school year, according to health department data.

“This is the greatest concern, that we’re going to see ongoing transmission in this community if we don’t get our vaccination rate up very quickly,” Bell said.

Most children receive the first dose of the vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and the second dose when they’re between 4 and 6 years old. Anyone older than that, with the exception of pregnant women and people with certain immune conditions, can still get the vaccine if they never received it during childhood, Bell said.

People who aren’t sure whether they’re vaccinated should ask their doctor to review their vaccination records, Bell said.

If those records aren’t available, “there’s no harm in getting another dose” of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaccines are available at doctor’s offices, clinics, public health departments and pharmacies across the state, Bell said. Most health insurance plans cover measles vaccines, according to the CDC.

An unvaccinated person exposed to the disease can keep from getting sick or get a milder form of the illness if they receive a vaccine within three days of contact with an infected person, Bell said.

As measles continues to spread, however, tracking down people who have been exposed in time to give them the shot becomes more difficult, making it imperative that people get vaccinated before coming into contact with the illness, Bell said.

“This is why we want people to be prepared in advance and go ahead and get their vaccines now before additional spread occurs,” Bell said.

Measles is highly contagious. About 90 percent of people exposed to it who have not received the vaccine or had a previous infection contract the disease, Bell said. One infected person can spread the illness to as many as 20 other people, she said.

Symptoms often start with a fever, cough, red eyes and runny nose, followed by a rash that usually starts on the face before spreading to the rest of the body, lasting up to a week, according to the public health department. Anyone with symptoms should stay home from school or work and contact a doctor, Bell said.

Severe cases can cause pneumonia or brain swelling, which can be fatal, especially in young children, according to the health department.

Practicing good hygiene, such as washing hands, can help prevent the disease from spreading. Getting the vaccine, which prevents 97 percent of cases after two doses, is the most effective way to keep from getting the measles, Bell said.

Vaccination also prevents the disease from spreading to people who can’t get vaccinated, including children under a year old, unvaccinated pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, Bell said.

The outbreak comes among a nationwide surge in measles cases. More than 1,500 people have reported infections. Three people, two in Texas and one in New Mexico, have died, according to the CDC.

South Carolina had an outbreak of the disease in 2018, when six people tested positive. Before that, the last measles case in the state was in 1997, health officials said previously.

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