At least 153 unvaccinated students exposed to measles in South Carolina schools are quarantining, according to local health officials.
In a media briefing on Thursday, officials confirmed these students were exposed contacts without immunity, leaving them to be excluded from school until the period of potential disease transmission has ended.
The schools, Spartanburg County’s Global Academy and Fairforest Elementary School, are working with the South Carolina Department of Public Health to implement recommended precautionary measures to ensure student and teacher safety, according to the briefing.
On Thursday, officials confirmed the state’s 11th case of measles overall in South Carolina this year and the eighth case since Sept. 25.
“What this case tells us is that there is active, unrecognized community transmission of measles occurring in the Upstate, which makes it vital to ensure that the public have received their measles vaccinations,” a release from the South Carolina Department of Public Health read.
In a release Friday, the health department warned the public that measles is “highly contagious,” adding the virus can “linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves.” The department also reiterated the measles vaccine — normally given as part of the combination measles-mumps-rubella or MMR vaccine — is the “best way to protect yourself and others against measles.”
Measles can cause severe infections in the lungs and brain that can lead to cognitive issues, deafness or death. But doctors and health officials say the vaccine is highly safe and effective.
The outbreak in South Carolina is part of a larger trend seen across the United States.
For example, health officials in Minnesota reported two new measles cases this week, bringing the state’s total number this year to 20. The Minnesota Department of Health said each of the new cases involves unvaccinated children who likely caught measles from an unvaccinated adult. Eighteen out of the 20 measles cases are children, the health department added.
And earlier this year, the United States recorded the most measles cases in more than 30 years, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed. A large share of the infections were connected to an outbreak in West Texas that led to the deaths of two children.
CDC data shows about 93% of kindergarteners in the U.S. were vaccinated against measles during the 2021-2022 school year and only 92.7% in the 2023-2024 school year. This is down from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year — a critical threshold to keep people safe.
“When more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, most people are protected through community immunity (herd immunity),” the CDC states.
According to the latest South Carolina briefing, the upstate region has only about 90% immunity, leaving the community vulnerable to the virus spreading.
