Major measles outbreak prompts hundreds of people to be quarantined in US county, officials say

South Carolina is facing a major measles outbreak that has led to hundreds of residents being quarantined.

The South Carolina Department of Health (DPH) reported in a press conference Wednesday that the current number of measles cases has reached 111 as part of the current Spartanburg County outbreak.

DPH first reported a measles outbreak in the northern region of the state on October 2.

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The health department confirmed that 254 people are currently in quarantine and 16 in isolation to prevent further spread.

“This significant increase in cases is unfortunate,” a DPH spokesperson said of the outbreak.

Public exposure was identified at Inman Middle School, with 43 of its students quarantined.

“This significant increase in cases is unfortunate.”

Eight other middle and high schools in the area are also reportedly under quarantine. DPH said several students had to quarantine twice due to repeated exposure.

“Vaccination remains the best way to prevent the disruption that measles is causing to education, employment and other factors in people’s lives and our communities,” the spokesperson said.

Of the 111 confirmed cases, 105 were not vaccinated. Receiving a vaccine within 72 hours has been shown to prevent measles infection, the DPH spokesperson said.

Some cases are related to travel exposure, while others come from an unknown source, suggesting measles is circulating in the community, DPH said.

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Connecticut also reported its first case of measles in four years, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

The department confirmed Thursday that an unvaccinated child in Fairfield County, under the age of 10, was diagnosed with measles after recent international travel.

The boy began showing symptoms several days later, including a runny nose, cough, congestion, fever and a rash that started on his head and spread to the rest of his body.

The Connecticut DPH noted that measles is “highly contagious” and can spread quickly through the air through coughing or sneezing. The CDC has estimated that nine out of 10 unvaccinated people who encounter an infected person will develop the measles virus.

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According to the International Vaccine Access Center, more than 1,800 cases of measles have been reported in 2025, the most since the United States declared the virus eliminated in 2000. It is also the largest number of cases recorded in three decades.

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“The best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to get vaccinated,” DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, wrote in a statement. “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93% effective, while two doses are about 97% effective.”