Measles outbreaks that surged across the United States in 2025 show little sign of slowing and are expected to continue into 2026, according to public health officials tracking the spread of the highly contagious virus, NBC News reported Friday.
In South Carolina, health authorities have placed 168 people — most of them schoolchildren — under quarantine as the state grapples with a growing outbreak centered in Spartanburg County.
Since September, the state has confirmed 138 measles cases, nearly all among unvaccinated individuals.
"As we identify new cases, and if those cases have susceptible contacts, that’s a new 21-day quarantine period," said Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina’s state epidemiologist, during a recent public briefing.
Unvaccinated individuals exposed now could remain in quarantine through the holiday season.
Vaccination rates in the affected area remain below the threshold health officials say is needed to stop outbreaks. Spartanburg County’s measles-mumps-rubella vaccination rate for the 2024-25 school year stood at about 90%, well under the 95% level typically cited for community protection.
Bell noted that vaccination rates have been declining for several years, a trend seen nationwide.
Data cited by NBC News shows that in states reporting MMR coverage, roughly two-thirds of counties fall below the 95% benchmark.
So far, South Carolina officials say there is no evidence the outbreak has spread to neighboring states, though officials remain watchful.
Meanwhile, a separate outbreak along the Arizona-Utah border continues to expand. Utah health officials report 125 cases, with more than 20 diagnosed in recent weeks, including exposures at schools, medical offices, and urgent care facilities.
Arizona has reported 190 cases, nearly all in Mohave County. About 97% of cases in both states involve unvaccinated individuals.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,958 measles cases so far in 2025 — approaching the modern-era record of 2,216 cases set in 1992. Forty-nine outbreaks have been recorded this year, with 11% of patients hospitalized.
Three deaths have been linked to measles outbreaks in 2025 — one adult in New Mexico and two young girls in Texas.
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