South Carolina officials have confirmed an outbreak of measles in the state, contributing to what has been the highest level of cases in the U.S. since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000.
As of Wednesday, eight cases had been reported in the Upstate region of the state, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health. A measles outbreak is defined as three or more cases that are linked.
“The people involved in the outbreak are unvaccinated and did not have immunity from a previous measles infection,” DPH said. The agency added that it’s notifying people who may have been exposed.
So far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified more than 1,500 cases of measles in the U.S. across 41 states, the largest surge in 25 years. Ninety-two percent of those who have gotten measles are unvaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown, according to the CDC.
“Measles is an airborne, extremely infectious, and potentially severe rash illness,” the CDC’s website says. “Before the measles vaccine was introduced, an estimated 48,000 people were hospitalized and 400–500 people died in the United States each year.”
The majority of cases have been reported in Texas, where two school-aged children died while living in outbreak areas earlier this year. In August, Texas state health officials officially declared the outbreak over as cases continued to rise in other states.
As cases grow, anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been remaking the CDC in his own image in an effort to loosen vaccine requirements.
South Carolina state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said she expects cases in the state to rise.
“We anticipate more cases will be identified and implore community members to act responsibly,” Bell said. “If you are ill, stay home.”
