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Upstate South Carolina Measles Cases Climb to 19 as Spartanburg Outbreak Reaches 15

Health officials report the latest infections were detected in quarantined close contacts, limiting new exposures.

Overview

  • Three additional cases reported since Tuesday bring the Upstate total to 19 this year, with 15 tied to the current Spartanburg County outbreak.
  • The new patients were already quarantining as close contacts, and officials say none were contagious in school settings.
  • More than 150 unvaccinated students from two Spartanburg schools were ordered to quarantine after exposures, with that number down to 139 as of Tuesday.
  • Cases have been linked to Global Academy and Fairforest Elementary, which reported vaccination rates of 17% and 85%, and investigators previously identified a Greenville exposure at a Crunch Fitness location.
  • The state has deployed a mobile unit offering free MMR vaccinations in Spartanburg County from Oct. 16–23, as low regional coverage (92.8%) and rising religious exemptions elevate the risk of further spread within the national 2025 surge.