South Carolina's measles outbreak now sits at 962 cases as of Tuesday afternoon. The South Carolina Department of Public Health reported 12 new cases in people between Friday, Feb. 13 and Tuesday, Feb. 17. The agency still recommends that those without the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination sequence to seek it out.
In total, 127 people are in quarantine and eight are in isolation, according to DPH in its Feb. 17 update. Libertas Academy, which has had students sent into quarantine in the past, was confirmed as a site of public exposure. Seventeen people from the school were sent into quarantine, while less than five people remain in quarantine from an exposure at Inman Intermediate.
Public exposure was also confirmed at the Walmart at 11410 Anderson Rd. in Greenville on Sunday, Feb. 8 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone who visited the store at the times of exposure should monitor for symptoms through March 1.
So far, 115 cases have been confirmed in February. DPH confirmed 671 cases of measles in January. The state's measles outbreak is the country's largest in the last 26 years, and while spread has seemingly slowed down in February, the state still nears 1,000 total cases in this outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 2,280 measles cases throughout the entire country in 2025.
More than 92%, or 893, of people who have contracted the disease were fully unvaccinated. Twenty people have been partially vaccinated. And 26 people were completely vaccinated. DPH is still unsure of 23 people's vaccination status.
To encourage vaccination, DPH has activated multiple mobile units throughout February that offer the MMR vaccination. The lone confirmed upcoming unit will site outside Grace Community Church on Tuesday, March 3 at 570 Magnolia St. in Spartanburg from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The bulk of the cases remained tied to Spartanburg County. The disease has infected 913 Spartanburg County residents. In Greenville County, 35 residents have been infected. Seven cases were reported in Anderson County, while each of Cherokee, Sumter and Lancaster counties have less than five cases reported in its residents.
Symptoms can begin to show between a week after exposure to 21 days after exposure. Symptoms include a fever and a visible rash that almost always begins on the face. Twenty people have been hospitalized for complications related to the disease and had their status reported to DPH. Complications have included encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell in previous media briefings.
