Public Health and Measles

South Carolina’s measles outbreak, centered in Spartanburg County, has surged to 789 confirmed cases — surpassing the 762-case West Texas outbreak — with more than 690 patients unvaccinated, only 20 fully vaccinated, 18 hospitalizations and hundreds of students quarantined. The state surge is part of a national resurgence (more than 2,200 U.S. cases in 2025 and over 400 so far in 2026) that has put U.S. measles‑elimination status at risk ahead of an April 2026 regional review, a vulnerability experts tie to falling MMR coverage and recent federal changes to childhood‑vaccine policy and rhetoric.