Measles cases in South Carolina have surpassed the 2025 West Texas outbreak, reaching nearly 800 cases as the United States is on the verge of losing its status of having eliminated the disease, state health officials announced Jan. 27.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health reported that 89 new measles cases have been confirmed since Jan. 23, bringing the total to 789. The number has overtaken the West Texas outbreak in 2025, which reached 762 cases and killed two children before ending in August.
The outbreak in South Carolina, which began in October 2025, has been centered in the northwest, which includes Greenville and Spartanburg counties, according to state health officials. It marks the biggest state‑level outbreak this year.
Of the 789 cases, 557 people are currently in quarantine, and 20 are in isolation, the state health department said. The latest end of quarantine for these cases is Feb. 19.
State data showed that of those infected, 695 were unvaccinated, 14 were partially vaccinated with one of the recommended two-dose measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines, 20 were fully vaccinated, and 60 had unknown vaccination status.
