In a Tuesday, Jan. 27 update, the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) reported 89 new measles cases in the state since Friday. As South Carolinians were cooped up through a weekend winter storm, the disease continued to spread and total cases in the Upstate outbreak now sit at 789.
The new total surpassed the 762 cases in the 2025 West Texas outbreak and is now the county's largest measles outbreak since the disease was eliminated 26 years ago.
Exposure was confirmed at three Spartanburg schools; Dorman High, Inman Intermediate and New Prospect Elementary each were confirmed as a source of exposure. DPH has still not determined how many students from these schools need to be sent into quarantine.
The three schools add to an already expansive list of campuses with confirmed measles exposure. Right now, 23 schools throughout the state have been confirmed as exposure sites. Holly-Springs Motlow Elementary in Campobello has the most students in quarantine with 59. The full list is available in DPH's latest update.
Four of the schools are not in any of Spartanburg County's eponymous public school districts.
Libertas Academy is a public charter school with 28 students in quarantine. The school is located in Spartanburg County but part of the Charter Institute at Erskine. And like Libertas Academy, Global Academy of South Carolina is a public charter school with 11 students in quarantine. The school has just about 21% of students with required immunizations this school year and is part of the Limestone Charter Association.
Crestview Elementary had 22 students placed into quarantine and is a part of the Greenville County School District. Starr Elementary had 17 students placed into quarantine and is a part of Anderson County School District 3.
In total, 557 people are in quarantine and 20 are in isolation. The latest end date for those in quarantine is Feb. 19.
More than 95% of the cases, or 756 of 789, are in Spartanburg County, according to data from the state's measles dashboard. Spartanburg County has been the epicenter of cases, as the disease in this outbreak has mainly spread through household, school and church exposure.
Twenty-eight of the cases were reported in Greenville County, while Anderson County and Cherokee County were each home to less than five people who had contracted the disease.
Eighteen people have been hospitalized for complications related to the disease.
Kids still dominate the disease demographics — with 88% of the reported cases contracted by children. And 89.9%, or 709 of 789, of the cases are in people without the recommended two-dose MMR sequence. Twenty of the confirmed cases were in vaccinated people. DPH is still tracking down the vaccination status of 60 measles cases. The public health agency still recommends for those without the recommended vaccination to seek one out.
Measles symptoms typically begin to show 7 days after exposure. And for some, symptoms will not present until 21 days after exposure. Symptoms can include a fever and a rash that almost always starts on the face.
