The United States is facing a measles outbreak, and South Carolina is being hit the hardest. According to the state epidemiologist of the South Carolina Department of Public Health, Dr. Linda Bell, 111 cases had been reported in the state as of last Wednesday, specifically in a northeastern area that includes Greenville and Spartanburg. The main hotspots are several schools in the state and a church in Spartanburg County, where 254 people are under a three-week quarantine.
This outbreak is not limited to South Carolina, as other states such as Utah and Arizona have also reported numerous cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 1,912 measles cases have been reported so far in 2025 across the country, and experts link this to the low K-12 vaccination rate for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR). The symptoms last for 21 days and include headaches and fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash that starts on the scalp and spreads to the neck, trunk, arms, and legs.
Measles outbreak in South Carolina
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a total of 1,912 measles cases so far in 2025 in the United States. The state of South Carolina is bearing the worst of it, especially in an area in the northwest of the state that includes Greenville and Spartanburg. According to the state epidemiologist of the South Carolina Department of Public Health, Dr. Linda Bell, “We are facing ongoing transmission that we expect to continue for many more weeks.” In less than a week, twenty-seven cases have been reported, which Dr. Bell attributed to increased holiday travel and low vaccination rates, “That is a significant increase in our cases over a short period of time”.
Although the health department deployed mobile clinics throughout the 2024-2025 period to provide MMR shots, Bell noted that very few people were vaccinated, “I can tell you that a relatively small number of doses were administered at each of the mobile health clinics we offer.” The data provided by NBC News indicates that the K-12 vaccination rate for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) in Spartanburg County was 90% for the 2024-25 school year, below the 95% level that doctors say is needed to protect against an outbreak, and in Greenville County, the MMR vaccination rate was 90.5%.
Spread outbreaks
According to published reports, the spread outbreaks in South Carolina are several schools and a church in Spartanburg County, where 254 people are in quarantine for three weeks. Bell referred to the number of days students must be in quarantine and how it affects the school year: “[…] with ongoing spread in schools, some students who remain unvaccinated are now in a second 21-day quarantine since the beginning of the school year. Although the quarantine includes weekends and holidays, 42 days is a significant amount of time out of the classroom”.
Cases in other states
The western United States is also experiencing outbreaks, such as in Arizona with 176 cases or Utah with 115, which occurred in a childcare center with a high school in Salt Lake County. According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, “The infected person was at the center all day, every day last week (from December 1 to December 5)”.
On the other hand, in Montezuma County, Colorado, health officials have reported another case of a child who had not been vaccinated, had not traveled out of state, and had not been in contact with other infected people. “The lack of a clear source of infection suggests that unidentified measles cases may be occurring in or travelling through the area,” the investigators said.
Symptoms
According to researchers, the MMR vaccine doses administered in two doses in children provide 97% protection against the virus. Measles symptoms may include:
- Headache, fever that can rise above 104 degrees.
- Cough, runny nose.
- Red and watery eyes.
- Small white spots inside the mouth.
- Rash that starts on the scalp and spreads to the neck, trunk, arms, and legs.
Frequently asked questions
How many cases of measles are there in the United States?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 1,912 measles cases so far in 2025.
In which states are there outbreaks?
Mainly in South Carolina — an area in the northwest of the state that includes Greenville and Spartanburg, but also Arizona, Utah and Colorado.