Viral disease spreading throughout the upper part of South Carolina.
By Dakota Gold
Staff Writer
News
The South Carolina Department of Public Health confirmed a measles outbreak on Oct. 2, 2025, in the upstate. As of Feb. 3, 2026, the DPH is reporting 920 cases of measles surrounding Spartanburg County.
Measles, or rubeola virus, is a highly contagious viral disease with symptoms such as a cough, fever and runny nose, followed by a severe rash. Complications can occur including pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death.
There are currently 443 people in quarantine and 20 in isolation. The latest date for quarantine release is Feb. 24.
Several schools were affected by the outbreak, including Clemson University.At Clemson, a confirmed positive test resulted in the isolation of an individual.
An email sent from the university said, “The individual has isolated per DPH requirements, and DPH is conducting contact tracing with individuals who may have been exposed and outlining isolation and quarantine protocols.”
Clemson Student Health Services data states that 98% of main campus students have provided proof of immunity, according to the email.
Clemson students shared their thoughts on the outbreak.
Claire Willis, an undergraduate business student, said, “I was definitely nervous about it when all we heard was that there was an outbreak. Since the person was isolated, I have not heard much.”
Willis also shared her thoughts on the immunization of measles, as it is a required vaccination for the university.
She said that health officials came to the university to provide MMR vaccines.
Willis said, “The only way a person could not receive the vaccine is for religious purposes, which is reasonable, but it’s definitely irresponsible not to get them coming into college because it can cause outbreaks.”
Before this outbreak, there had not been an outbreak of measles since before 2000, following the 1989 shift to a 2-dose vaccination. This led to a declaration that the disease had been eliminated by the United States.
The Center for Disease Control will meet on April 13, 2026 to discuss if the U.S. still has its elimination status.
A person is contagious for four days before and after the rash, so they can spread measles without them knowing they have it. The virus can also linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the room.
The DPH said, “The majority of cases are close contacts of known cases. However, the number of public exposure sites indicates that measles is circulating in the community increasing the risk of exposure and the risk of infection for those who are not immune due to vaccination or natural infection.”
According to the data on their website, 97% of those infected were unvaccinated. The DPH released a list of exposure sites on their website along with data of the locations and ages of the infected.
The majority of cases were of those from the ages of 5 to 17 years old, therefore schools are at the highest risk for exposure.
The DPH recommends not to send children to school if they have any symptoms and to report any positive tests.
The outbreak has brought up controversy about immunization and vaccines. According to a recent study by the National Library of Medicine, models have shown declining rates in childhood vaccination.
The NLM said, “Based on estimates from this modeling study, declining childhood vaccination rates will increase the frequency and size of outbreaks of previously eliminated vaccine-preventable infections, eventually leading to their return to endemic levels.”
However, the NLM acknowledges vaccine hesitancy and mistrust towards public health institutes following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
They said that the pandemic played a role in hesitancy because a politicized emergency response fueled misinformation, therefore causing mistrust.
The NLM also said, “Efforts to rebuild public trust must begin by prioritizing science over politics.”
Following the current measles outbreak, the CDC and other health institutes are advocating for vaccines.
The DPH said, “The measles vaccine (MMR and MMRV) is the best way to protect yourself and others against measles.”
Any additional information about the outbreak can be found at dph.sc.gov.
